New Chrysler
by Autumn37
Summary: AU. "I never get to do what I want to do! It's always Rachel do this or Rach do that. Rachel take care of the kids. Rach go to do your homework. Rachel can't do the show. Rachel you can't go out tonight. Rach you aren't allowed to hang out with those kids. Sorry Rachel one of the kids need me. Rachel. Rachel. Rachel!" Teenage Rachel Corcoran rebels! Complete.
1. Chapter 1

Constant hustle and bustle that surrounded the area. The massive content of people that inhabit the small proximity could be overwhelming to those who are not accustomed to the city life. Enormous billboards and electronic screens display advertisements for all kinds of shows, products, and films. The world's most well-known franchises are located all along the street, but at colossal sizes that cannot compare to the stores located in other towns. The sky brightly illuminates the skyscrapers that tower above making them shine like dazzling diamonds. Chatter blends with loud blaring car horns assaulting one's ears. The wind gently dancing across the faces of pedestrians who are on a mission to arrive at their next destination. Small crinkly autumn leaves skitter in the breeze, along the concrete like racing little children. Ugg boots were fished out of closets and now sashay down every street corner. It was New York City on a cloudy October morning and everyone was racing to their respective jobs and activities.

"Wait for me!" The pitter patter of small brown winter boots are heard slapping on the worn concrete, as the small five year old races after her siblings. At the sound of the child's voice, fifteen year old, Rachel Corcoran, peers over her shoulder only to see her youngest sister running towards them, but slowly being consumed by the ever growing crowd. Abruptly, she stands at a halt trusting that the remaining New Yorkers would maneuver around her, which they did.

"Charlotte, come on! We don't have time for you to be stopping and gazing at everything that seems remotely interesting!" She calls out to the kindergartner and extends her hand for the girl to take.

"See this is why Mom says to hold her hand at all times." A voice sneers from below, which she knew was none other than her aggravated younger sister.

"Then why weren't you holding her hand?" Countered her brother, who was carefully fixing his dark blue beanie that had been blown out of place by the wind.

"Last I checked I wasn't the babysitter, Maks." By then the little girl had reached the group and taken a firm grasp on the edge of her eldest sister's pullover hoodie, who now had fistfuls of sweatshirts and dragging the other two children in front of a storefront. This way they would have more privacy.

"Look. You two need to stop bickering or else I am going to take the next taxi back home right now. You don't need to get a Halloween costume today." The teen says authoritatively.

"Genny started it, she's been in a bad mood since this morning." Ten year old Maks complains, folding his arms over his chest.

"Oh act your age, not your shoe size." Genevieve spat back, at which Maks reaches forward, forcefully brushes past her fringe, and throws her knit beret hat off her head. "Hey! Rach tell him to stop!" Genevieve cries, picking up her hat and allowing tears to well up in her eye as her brunette fly hairs stood up straight in all directions.

"Rach! Rachel! Rach!" the youngest begins to shout and tug at her sweater to get her sister's attention, "Rach!"

"Oh my god! Just shut up!" Rachel shouts, which led to all three of her younger sibling to silence and others to stare as they pass by, "I don't have time for this. We have to be at the theatre in forty minutes and…"

"Rach!" Someone calls. Pinching the bridge of her nose, Rachel slowly spins around in the voice's general direction. Only to see her best friend, Johnathan Gilmore, jogging towards them as he jay walks across the street and maneuvers around halted taxi cabs and cars.

"John!" The curly top kindergartner squeals, jumping up and down with excitement.

"Hey Shirley," He says because her physique and personality is relatively an uncanny resemblance to the young Shirley Temple. "How's it going?"

"I'm bored!" she shouts unnecessarily loud, greeting him with a high five.

"So, what did I miss?" He asks, forcefully tousling Rachel's hair with a laugh tinted with mischief.

"Damn it Johnathan! It took me a long time to straighten my hair and get it this way!" She begins to smooth her brunette locks down and straighten her fringe with an even more irate look plastered on her face.

"Oh, trouble in paradise?" John asks taking in the scene before him. All three older siblings with arms folded and deep scowls, with slight evidence of tears welling up in Genny's hazel eyes.

"They won't stop fighting" Rachel explains, gesturing in their direction, "Charlie won't stop wandering off. Mom told me I had to babysit all day today because we don't have to work on the show tonight and Dad can't watch them because he is at the recording studio. And right now I have to go to the Hamlisch Theatre to talk to Marta from the costume department about giving us some costumes and…"

"SHHH!" John hushes, half saying, half spitting in her face, as he firmly places his large hand over her mouth. "Don't worry. I don't work tonight either, obviously, so between the two of us we will get things done." He set his gaze on Maks and grins, "Am I right dude? We will get all of this done without fighting and complaining, because that's how the cool bros roll."

"Right!" Maks agrees, then they proceed to do their bromantic handshake that consists of a side five, slide into a fist, bump fists up and down, then forward which then explodes backwards with wiggling fingers.

"Why does he listen to you more than he does to me?" Rachel mumbles and John simply shrugs.

"It's a bro thing."

"PIGGYBACK!" Charlotte announces eagerly.

"Me too! Me too!" Genny chips in.

"Alright," John crouches down and grunts as Genny leaps onto his back and holds on tightly. While Charlotte emulates the same with Rachel, and John takes off running with Rachel and Maks trailing behind.

"We are off to see the Wizard!" Johnathan loudly sings, which signaled everyone to skip in the odd manner Judy Garland and her friends skipped in the iconic film.

"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz!" the rest chorus.

A few minutes later, after running down the respective street, shoving past people, and stopping by a donuts shop, they were once again on their way trying to find the subway that would take them closest to the theatre where they all perform three shows a week in the play, _Blue Winds._

As they walk down the concrete, John and Rachel gossip about the new scandal that has occurred among their cast mates. Maks and Genevieve had come up with a game in which they are not allowed to step on any of the cracks that may be on the ground. While Charlotte trailed along observing all of the pedestrians that walk by, Rachel having a firm grasp on her tiny hand, and munching on a chocolate donuts.

"Yeah and everyone knows you aren't supposed to date someone you are in a show with! Once they break-up it makes things very awkward and uncomfortable, not only for them, but for all of us!" Rachel animatedly said, tugging lightly on Charlotte's arm in order to remind her to keep moving.

"What makes you think they are going to break up?" John asked, "I mean look at your Mom and Dad, they met fourteen years ago in a show and they are still together to this day."

"Get real John. My mom and dad were mature adults by then. Katie and Scott are fifteen and sixteen years old, they aren't thinking about marriage at all. Plus I heard that Jeanie is after Scott, even though he is dating Katie…" Out of the corner of her eye, Rachel spots a group of boys walking past them and smiling in her direction. They nudge one another and whisper in a form that lets Rachel know that she is their topic of choice. She looks in their direction and their nonchalantly look away as if nothing had happened.

"Ugh!" Rachel shouts with balled up fists.

"What?" John asks with a raised eyebrow.

"I hate being objectified." She tells him, using her finger to push a stray hair behind her ear.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean when men feel the need to objectify women as they walk down the street or past them in any setting. They make it their life's goal to look at women as some sort of prized item on the top shelf of a store. It makes me feel as though I am no longer a human being with a brain, but simply an object." She huffs.

"Unfortunately, we live in such a society." John shrugs.

"That is hardly a justification." She retorts, slapping his chest with the back of her hand.

"It is a justification, but I never said the justification was ethical." He smirks.

"Don't be a smart ass."

"It's true though. Humanity as a whole has some sort of 'natural instinct', where we are all subject to judge one another. Men, women, and children alike. Not just men, like you said in your previous statement." John explains.

"Men objectify women in order to suppress their own lustful tendencies. They objectify their own sex as well in order to make themselves feel better about themselves or to feel inspired. Same with women. While children judge other children, or people for that matter, if they look different. If you actually observe an infant, they have more of a tendency to reach for a person who is more attractive than one who isn't."

"That's just idiotic."

"Humanity is idiotic."

"How can a humanity have a hatred for humankind?"

"You'd be surprised."

"So let me get this straight…Your claim is that humans have a tendency to objectify, minimize, or judge others because they either want to A. Fuel their Ego, or B. Suppress their subconscious sexual desires? Well…minus the children."

"Indeed." He nods. "But children can also be ruthless."

"I concur." She shakes her head, "My faith in humanity is minimizing."

"That's why I love my dog."

….

"You touched it!" Genevieve shouts, announcing her victory, finally winning their game.

"No I didn't, I stayed right in the box." Maks points down at his feet that were indeed in a square of concrete.

"Lift your foot." Maks lifts his left foot and saw nothing but smooth concrete, but when he looks under his right foot, there is a small crack that scarred the sidewalk.

"Aww man." With a large smile, Genevieve's fist rears back and she punches her brother square in the arm.

"You lose! I win!" She smiles and hops around, doing a slight happy dance.

"Yeah, well…look!" Maks makes a circle with his thumb and index finger and places it onto his jean covered thigh. When Genevieve looks at the circle and quickly tries to stab the circle with her finger, he smiles widely and punches her in the arm as well. "You looked at it!"

"No fair! I wasn't ready." Genny light-heartedly pouts with her arms crossed.

"You're not supposed to be ready, you're not even supposed to look at it. Remember you're supposed to see it out of the corner of your eyes and try to jab it." He says pointing animatedly at the corners of his eyes.

"Well how was I NOT supposed to look if you yelled "Look!" right before you did it? That's cheating. You're supposed to wave it up and down to get my attention." She laughs, waving the circle up and down her thigh causing her brother to look down. "You looked at it!" She punches him almost as hard as he punched her.

"Ow!" Maks rubs his upper arm, "Okay. Okay! I quit!"

"License plate game or One, Two, Three?" Genevieve suggests as Maks smiles with a glint of mischief in his green eyes.

As her older siblings entertain themselves, Charlotte always seems to enjoy observing the scenery, the people, the buildings, and everything that seemed appealing to the eye. There was a woman walking her dog who looked very funny because she wore a deep scowl on her face, a huge coffee stain on her pink blouse, and a Cocker Spaniel pulling against the leash. A little girl with a HUGE pink cotton candy that looked bigger than her head.

A man yelling at a group of boys who were riding super-FAST on their skateboards. And who could forget the buildings? She giggled at her reflection in the windows as she passed by because they seemed to be just like the fun-house mirrors she had seen at Coney Island. Some made her head look like the guy on the Airhead candies. Some make her look as skinny as a Pixie Stick. Others make her look like the blueberry girl in the Willy Wonka movie. And others made her look completely ordinary, which wasn't as fun, but was still okay.

As she gazes up as high as she could possibly see and back down is when she notices three men in front of them who looked quite suspicious. They were walking on the other side of the street, each wearing a backpack. A backpack she had seen before, if only she could remember where exactly. It wouldn't have been a problem if they had just been walking normally like all the other thousands of people around them, but they were staring. Staring, but not just staring, but completely engrossed by them. As if they were trying to peer into their souls or something.

When one of them caught her staring, he quickly shifted his gaze from her and the others did the same, trying to look as nonchalant as possible, but she saw right through him. She continued to stare and their eyes would slowly flicker to each other as if wondering what to do until he settled for staring back. One then dropped his innocent façade, pulled out a camera, and took a several pictures. Charlotte gasped, but knew she couldn't make a big deal or they would cause a scene. By then, Rachel has picked up on her sister's distracted mannerisms and tugged on her arm once more.

"Hey Charlie, it's rude to stare." Rachel reminds her. Since Charlotte was the youngest and moving past her toddler stage, she and her parents have constantly been after her about her manners, but the little girl did not even show any indication that she heard her. "Charlie. Stop staring."

Suddenly, Charlotte walked slightly ahead, stopped right in front of her, and lifted her arms to let her older sister know she wants to be carried. "Charlie no. You are five years old, I am not going to carry you."

"Hey, why are we stopping?" Maks inquires, balancing on one foot being as he and Genevieve were playing their own crazy form of hop-scotch.

"Yeah, is something wrong?" Genevieve asks, standing on both feet that are shoulder width apart.

"No, Charlie just wants to be carried," Rachel informs them, "Charlie, come on you can walk on your own." But Charlotte wasn't having any of it, in fact she whined and bounced more frantically on the balls of her feet and stretched her arms further.

"Hey, use your words okay?" Johnathan gently says. When Charlie was about four she was in a phase where she would make sounds and point at the things she wanted. Receding back into the ways of an infant, in order to get attention. Everyone was worried at first, but a doctor informed their mother that it was a common occurrence amongst the youngest in the family when they reach around four. They are the youngest, want attention, and often times try to act like a baby in order to get it. Fortunately, she had gotten past this phase about six months ago, but John figures that she may be doing that again.

"No." Rachel insists, but Charlotte simply shakes her head and tries to reach for her again. With a sigh, Rachel reluctantly complies and lifts her sister up. Charlotte wraps her legs around Rachel's waist and buries her head into her sister's neck. Rachel smiles satisfactorily, utterly thankful for Charlie's small frame because even though she was five years old, their mother still has to shop in the toddler section of the store. She may have the intelligence and diction of a kindergartner, but to most people the little girl looked like any another preschooler.

She lifts her head and whispers "The Paps" into her ear and Rachel rolls her eyes in utter annoyance.

"What?" John asks.

Rachel quietly announces to the group, "The Paps."

"The paps?" John asks, as all four Corcoran siblings pick up their pace and walk quicker.

"Subway!" Maks yells, leading the way to the subway they had been looking for with Genevieve trailing behind.

"Come on. Come on. Come on!" Genevieve insists, motioning for John and Rachel to walk quicker before she and Maks disappear down the steps to the platform. Firmly holding Charlotte against her chest, they ascend down the stairs, use their subway cards to enter, and wait for a few seconds hoping that they weren't followed.

"Who are the Paps?" John tries again. Fixing Charlie to sit beside her, Rachel opens her mouth to say something, but Maks interrupts by asking, "This is the train to the theater right?"

Rachel shrugs and opens her mouth to respond, but Genevieve says, "I think we are going to…" she stands on the metal bench and examines the map on the wall behind her. "…46th street. Hey! That's where the theater is at! We found the right one!" Maks and Genevieve high five and Maks again makes a circle on his thigh, Genevieve looks, and a hard punch is delivered once again.

"The paparazzi!" Rachel says loudly before anyone could say anything.

"Well." Maks says stunned, "You don't need to shout."

Rachel narrows her eyes at him, but continues to explain, "We call the paparazzi, The Paps, and whenever we see them we try our best to ignore them and go out our day as usual or make quick getaway as soon as possible to avoid getting our picture taken or others realizing who we are." John only nods and silently agrees, he knew the struggle. He had been recognized on several occasions and although he loves his fans, when he is taking a nice brisk walk to clear his head, he doesn't necessarily want to be incessantly photographed.

"Is she okay?" John points in Charlotte's direction, who was quietly looking around the station.

"Yeah, she just doesn't like them very much."

"I don't like them either." Genevieve adds making a disgusted face, "We should pound them!"

"Yeah!" Maks agrees, "Get our bows and arrows, borrow Mama's horse from Grandma's ranch, and go to war on those suckers!" At that, Maks and Genevieve began to run about the platform, hiding behind pillars, and playing as if they were shooting each other with bows and arrows.

"Hey Charlie." Johnathan says, the little girl looks up at him at the sound of her name.

"Want to see a magic trick?" She gives him a small smile and nods.

"Look at this coin." He pulls out a quarter from his pocket and presents it to her. "I am going to pass this coin through my hand." He grabs the coin with his right hand and starts tapping the back of his left hand with it. "I just have to find my soft spot and one, two, three!" The coin falls down onto the ground after he seemingly pushes it through his hand

"How did you do that?" Charlie asks with wide green eyes.

"Yeah how did you do that?" Rachel questions as well.

"Magic." He says lifting up his hands, showing then his palms and the back of his hands, illustrating to them that he no longer had any coin.

"No tell me!" Charlie says, grabbing his hands and trying to find a coin in his sleeves.

"A magician never tells his secrets." John informs her.

"Jerk." Rachel say, nudging his ribs with her elbow.

"Ow!" He shouts, even though he was in no pain at all.

"Another trick!" Charlie squeals. They sit together for a few minutes watching John do several magic tricks with his hands and various coins.

Soon from a distance they are able to hear the train approaching, they get to their feet and decide it would be best to wait by the yellow line for it to make its screeching halt.

"Hey guys!" John shouts to get Maks and Genny's attention. "Stop messing around, the train is coming."

As they stand right behind the yellow line and before the train can make a complete stop, a girl, about the age of thirteen, timidly walks up to them with a friend behind her.

"H-Hi." The girl stammers as she stands before the group, wringing her hands nervously and shifting from foot to foot. The girl has a _Blue Winds_ T-shirt peeking out from under her black cardigan and tucked into her dark denim jeans.

"Hello." Rachel knowingly smiles, "Can I help you with something?"

"Um."

"Not to be rude…can you make it quick? We don't want to miss the train." She sweetly says, taking hold of Charlie's hand and patiently waits for the young teen to say something.

"Are you Shelby Corcoran's daughter? Rachel Corcoran?" Rachel grins and nods, but internally rolls her eyes at the sound of her full name. Why do fans of the show often like saying her full name? It is simply Rachel, just Rachel. "Can I have your autograph and a picture?" The girl held out her Blue Winds phone case, jeez she is a true fan.

"Sure!" Rachel smiles, "Charlie we are going to take a picture okay?" The little girl nods, Rachel adjusts Charlie on her hip and the four of them crowd together for a picture. Then she quickly puts Charlotte down on her feet, picks up the Sharpie, and signs the rubber phone case to the best of her ability. "Thank You!" She squeals, "Bye Little Daisy!" With that the girl runs up the steps with her friend, both excitedly giggling. Rachel smiles and shakes her head thoroughly amused and leads her youngest sister into the train.

"Who was that?" Genevieve asks, sitting on one of the plastic chairs, swinging her feet.

"Oh, just someone asking for an autograph." Rachel informs, placing Charlie on a plastic seat next to Genny, and taking residence beside John, holding onto the metal rails to stay balanced.

"My name is not Daisy." Charlotte pipes up, after seemingly processing what had just occurred.

"That is your character's name," Maks kindly reminds her. "Remember, you play Daisy, the daughter of Mom's character Katherine…at the end remember? Rachel plays teenage Katherine and Genny plays the child version of Katherine when Mom's character remembers stuff, and I play Andrew, the paperboy and part of the ensemble cast." Maks tries to explain to her at the best of his ability.

"I play Daisy. I'm not Daisy." Charlie clarified in a _duh_ tone, which causes John to slightly laugh.

"We know munchkin."

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><p><strong>Review?<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello! To the reviewer who asked about the other glee characters, yes you may see some of them in the future. I just want to build up on who my characters are. But soon, I promise. Thanks to all those who supported this story! :)**

**As you can tell, this is a story surrounding Halloween night! Tune in!**

* * *

><p>"But I don't want to be a newsboy." Maks whines as he stands in the middle of the costume "closet" where Marta, their costume designer, keeps all the costumes and props. Clothes everywhere! In bags, not in bags, in piles, boas hanging off hooks, a chest of props, props thrown about, glitter covering the carpet, <em>everything<em> one can imagine is located in that costume storage room.

"Shush." Rachel says, sending him a look that told him to behave.

"It's okay Maks," the middle-aged woman laughs walking towards them from the back, holding a garment bag, "I already know what you wanted to be, just give me a moment."

"Okay." Maks plops down onto a chair and waits with his younger sisters, who were instructed to stay put and **not** to touch _anything_.

"Okay let's begin with Charlotte." She says with a slight German accent. Charlie stands up straight at the sound of her name, and marches towards her like a wooden solider. "You silly goose," Marta laughs, "Now what is it that you wanted to be again dear?"

"I want to be a makarade fairy princess!" Charlotte squeals with enthusiasm. "With Glitter! Lots of glitter!"

"Makarade?" John's eyebrow raises with confusion, leaning up against the wall.

"She means masquerade." Rachel clarifies from her perch on a side bench, "A fairy princess with an intricate mask."

"Alright," Marta says, "Genevieve?" Genevieve shoots up and skidders towards her with equal excitement.

"I want to be a ninja!" Genevieve lets out a shout and then does a move that could be closely associated with martial arts, but isn't quite there yet.

"Very cool." Marta grins widely and turns to the boys, "Maks?"

"Spiderman!" He yells, getting down into a squat and tucks in his two middle fingers, gesturing his wrist forward, and emulates shooting webs.

"Awesome! I was just making sure I got all the costumes correct and in order." From the rack behind her, Marta grabs three garment bags and begins to hand them out to each child. "Alright, now I want the three of you to please try them on so I can make sure the fit correctly."

"Yes ma'am!" Maks says, then races to the back of the room where three dressing rooms were located and all three children disappear behind the curtains.

"Now, Rachel what did you say you were going to be?"

"I would like to be Eponine at the barricades please." Rachel references the famous, play _Les Miserables_, where the character Eponine dresses up as a man to go to battle in the barricades. Then John gives her a look reminding her of _his_ costume. "Oh! And John would like to be a street urchin."

"Oh right!" Marta recalls, as she comes up with two adult-sized garment bags and hands them to them. Being as they had been measured recently for _Blue Wind_'s costumes there was no need for measuring.

After a few moments of polite banter between the small group a small voice interrupts their discussion by tentatively calling out, "Genny?" Charlie's head pops out from behind the curtain wearing a deep pout and looking over to the dressing room beside hers.

"What?" Genny kindly responds.

"Something happened." She informs, biting her lip not wanting to voice her predicament aloud for all to hear.

"What?" She questions, reluctantly poking her head out from behind her curtain in order to see what her sister was talking about.

"I need help." the younger sister whispers.

"Why? Let me see." Genny says, reaching for the curtain.

"No!" Charlotte says, holding it closed.

"Let me see."

"No" she insists.

"How am I supposed to help you if you won't let me see?" Genny reasons. Upon hearing her sisters' discussion, Rachel's curiosity got the best of her and excused herself before she made her way towards the back to the dressing area.

"What's wrong?" Rachel asks the girls, placing her hand on her hip.

"I-I…" Charlotte falters.

"Charlie says that she needs help, but she won't let me see with what?" Genny explains, "Can you help her?"

"Okay, go change." Rachel says and Genevieve quickly disappears once more. "Alright, come on out munchkin."

"No."

"I wasn't asking."

"Fine. But don't laugh." With a sigh, Charlotte pulls back the curtain and Rachel has to stifle a laugh so that she wouldn't cause Charlie to feel embarrassed about herself. She was indeed in need of desperate help. Her sparkly pink sweatshirt was bunched up around her shoulders revealing a white cotton undershirt covering her small tummy and her pale pink _Wednesday_ underwear, even though it was **not** Wednesday. With only one foot in the costume's thick leggings while the other side dangles around her ankle.

"Oh…" Rachel's voice wavers as she bites back a laugh, "Okay well…"

"I told you not to laugh!" Charlie cries, yanking the curtain shut.

"N-n-n-n-no…" Rachel slightly frowns, "I'm sorry, let me in." No answer. "Please let me in." Again no response, just a few struggling grunts from behind the curtain. Seeing as there was no indication of _objection_ on the matter, Rachel slips her way inside whilst Charlotte is found bending over slight and tugging at her sweatshirt, which refused to untangle from her head.

"Here, let me help."

Once everyone is dressed and costumes are correctly in place, the three musketeers stand in front of a large mirror admiring the outfits that were specially tailored just for them. Beginning with the oldest, Maks stands before the mirror in a full body Spiderman costume, complete with boots, gloves and face mask. Unlike the store bought costumes, this one was entirely form-fitting and appeared professional as if he were about to star in the young version of _Spiderman Turn off the Dark_. Utterly thrilled with Marta's costume, he begins to pose and leap around in front of the mirror.

Genevieve engages in backflips and cartwheels, which she learned to do during her gymnastics lessons, before the mirror as she admires her similar form-fitting and outright authentic full body ninja attire. That includes a black face mask with a slot that reveals her hazel eyes, gloves, and narrow boots.

Charlotte gleefully squeals and twirls in her intricate fairy costume that consists of a purple dress with black embroidered designs on the abdomen part of the dress. The slimness of the dress stops at the waist and converts into a skirt made of petal-like pieces of purple fabric. She wore thick black leggings, which Rachel ultimately was able put on, black flats, complete with elegant transparent wings with elaborate black wing designs.

"Thank you so much Marta," Rachel says, "My mother is going to be extremely ecstatic when she sees these outfits you made."

"It was my pleasure," Marta responds, waving her off, "This is what I love to do."

Minutes later, after thoroughly admiring Marta's remarkable creations, the children are changed back into their normal clothing, as Marta attempts to write each of their names on their garment bags with a red sharpie.

"Hey, do you spell your name M-A-X?" Marta contemplates, knowing that the Corcorans loved choosing obscure names.

"No, M-A-K-S." He corrects her, balancing on the bench to tie his shoe.

"J-E-N-N-Y?" She guesses trying not to take the time to figure out how to spell Genevieve, while the eight year old pulls her sweatshirt over her head.

Genevieve shakes her head and says, "G-E-N-N-Y."

"Well at least all the rest of you have simple names." She gratefully grins and before dividing the garment bags between Rachel and Johnathan.

While shifting through the bags to make sure they had all of them, Rachel slightly giggles, nudging Johnathan with her elbow, and silently uses her eyes to point at the bag in her hands. "Jon" it said in bold red letters. With equal amusement, he points at the bag in his hands that incorrectly read "Raychal", which causes them snicker.

"Easy names my ass." John whispers.

"She only got Charlie's name right."

John casually pulls his phone out from his pocket and his eyes widen as realization washes over his face, "I need get going, I have to be back home by three o'clock because my dad wants me to help him with an oil change and a quick tune up on his car, and the drive is about an hour depending on traffic." Johnathan announces.

"Oh okay."

"I brought my car into the city too. Do you need a lift home or do you have other things to do?"

"No I think we should head home too, that way I can hand off the munchkins to my mom and finish my weekend homework." Rachel says.

"Always leaving things until the last minute." He teases.

"Duh!" She says, throwing the three garment bags she had over her left forearm and taking Charlie's hand into her right hand.

"Can we go to the park?" Charlotte pleads with the wide green eyes.

"The park sounds fun!" Maks quickly agrees, "We could play catch with the football I have back that the apartment we have on 5th street! Come on John please?"

"And we can play "intense hide-n-seek!" Genny adds.

"No, sorry guys. I really have to go." Johnathan remorsefully says. Contrast to popular belief, he actually really enjoyed spending time with Rachel's younger siblings. They always knew how to brighten his day and bring him down to earth and out of the spotlight.

"We have to go too." Rachel said. All the younger kids groaned with disappointment. "Come on. Mom is going to be home at two and dad will be home soon after that. We can all possibly put on a movie and eat popcorn. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

"In the night time." Genny says, "But it is still daytime and we want to play."

"Yeah play!" Charlie nods with a smile.

"It's okay, we can play when we get home." Maks suggests, trying to pacify his younger sisters. He didn't need a miffed Rachel in charge at the moment, he liked her when she was calm and fun.

"Okay."

"I guess."

"Alright then! To the car garage!" Maks says loudly, causing his sisters to perk up.

"More like...The Batmobile!" John says in a deep announcer's type voice. Then all four of them sped out the door and into the city, leaving Rachel shaking her head.

"Idiot." She laughs to herself. "Thank you Marta!" She called out for the woman, wherever she may be.

"Anytime dear!"

After about thirty incessant minutes of waiting in a long line of cars attempting to exit the city during lunch rush, they were finally cruising down a semi-empty road homeward bound. They had retrieved Charlotte's spare car seat from the apartment before they hit the road in John's SUV. The windows were rolled down midway so the crisp autumn wind was able to breeze by.

John blasted classic rock songs on his iPhone that connects to the car stereo. Everyone sang songs like _Bohemian Rhapsody_, _Don't Stop Me_, _Don't Stop Believing_, _Living on a Prayer_, and other songs alike at the tops of their lungs. Singing and spastically dancing around as much as being strapped by a seatbelt allowed them to move. But soon Charlie had fallen asleep in her car seat, Genny fell asleep against the car seat, Maks gazed out the window fighting his drooping eyes, the radio was lowered and quietly played _Beth_ by KISS, and the two teens fell into a comfortable silence as they cruised along.

"So what's your story?" Johnathan asks, breaking the silence. Rachel shifted her head over to face him and gave him an incredulous look. "You heard me, what is your story?"

"You very well know my story John." She responds with an amused grin, "I am the daughter of Shelby Corcoran. I am fifteen years old, I am the oldest of four. My birthday is November 14th. My mom is an actress and my dad is a music composer slash lyricist. I act professionally when given the opportunity.

My siblings and I all go to school three times a week and do independent study the other two days during the show, but will be returning to school once our contract is up because my mom wants us to have a "normal childhood". Which I don't understand because we are the children of an actress, how exactly are we supposed to have a quote, unquote, normal childhood? And…yeah. I don't know what else to tell you." She picks up her phone and begins to find a soft, quiet song she could play in order to assure the continuous sleeping of her younger siblings.

"Yeah and all that I can probably find on Wikipedia, Broadway Wiki, or maybe even or and be like those creepy fan girls who stalk your every move. But I want to know your real story. What's your real story?" John explains as Rachel quietly switches his phone with her phone and connects it to the stereo. She shifts to a specific playlist that begins to play _Always Starting Over_ by the cast of If/Then, then changes it to _Rose's Turn_ from _Gypsy_, but settles on _People_ by Barbra Streisand. Leaning back against the seat, she racked her brain for a way to respond that question.

"I-I don't even know," Rachel says with a laugh, " I hate being asked this question because I sit there like, "Who am I?" She says and mocks being frustrated by making an irritated expression and hovering both hands over her face.

"Well how did your family come to be?" John began, "If you don't mind my asking."

"Well I'm sure everyone knows my mom's life based upon all of those websites that you mentioned that stalk our every move." Rachel laughs.

"All I know is when you were two, your mom started doing theatre workshops, alongside working at a diner and being a full-time mother. That same year, your mom was asked to originate the role of Florence in the show _Candles_ where she met your dad." John recalls from Shelby's publicized biography.

"Precisely." Rachel affirms, "I guess if you want the full story…when she was learning the music for the show, she worked with Everett, the show's lyricist and composer. He was a charismatic twenty-nine year old and she was a vivacious twenty-five year old and they basically seemed to hit it off right away. Well at least that is how she tells it. Dad says that he asked mom out on a date multiple times, but she always turned him down because she had to focus on the show and raising me. She supposedly didn't have time to date anyone because her daughter and the show were her main priorities.

"Also, he was a veteran who had joined the Army right out of high school and remained in the military for four years. He then got his degree in music and had spent the last few years writing and composing, but at the time Candles was his first real professional gig. That's why she rationalized that he wouldn't be a good fit for her because he was obviously was an ex-military man who undoubtedly had never had any experience with children."

"Dude that's cool though!" John's eyes widened, "An ex-military soldier turned Broadway composer? What is this a movie?" He smiled truly impressed as Rachel shakes her head.

"It's not that great really. He is a calm, whimsical, go-with-the-flow type guy, but because he has been in the military he values neatness and following rules like no other. I mean I assume that makes for a good dad, but it's quite aggravating at times."

"I bet. But back to the story, where were you during all this?" John questions, "Did you have a babysitter while your mom worked?"

"She would take me with her to rehearsals, where someone would watch me while she rehearsed. I was three when the show opened and I never missed a show because mom would take me with her to every single one. People would alternate watching me while she was on stage, my Aunt Raquel, my grandma, my Aunt Alexa who was sixteen at the time, and at times even Everett would volunteer to help out when he wasn't busy. During Intermission she would put me to "bed" on the couch in her dressing room and sing me to sleep while she ate some candy and changed for her next scene.

"My mom and Everett started dating the year the show opened and he made it his life's goal to get me to like him. He would have me tag along on nearly all of their dates and once I was at ease with him he would take me to the movies, the zoo, the park, and he would even babysit sometimes and do everything I wanted. From playing princess to tea parties to baking cakes, he never said no. Ultimately they got married when I was four years old. Everett adopted me and my mom's contract expired after two years of working on the show. So at the age of five, I had a mom and a dad, and my mom decided to go on a hiatus in order to raise me properly. She then got pregnant with Maks and the rest is history."

"But what about all of the television show appearances she made, the films she was in, and that one animated movie she leant her voice to?"

"She only took jobs that would be temporary and wouldn't require eight shows a week like she had to do when I was little. She says it killed her not to be able to be with me all the time, that's why she never hired a nanny for us. Therefore you best believe we were on set with her, on location, in the studio, but most of the time my dad would watch us. But all six of us were always together no matter what. She only worked while we were in school, very sparingly on the weekends, and a few weeks in the summer."

"Then how does she take care of you guys now, you know, cuz she's working?"

"Because she is working with the same people that worked on _Candles_ and other concerts she did throughout the years and Dad is their lyricist/composer again, they decided to double cast the lead role this time _just_ for her. Thus mom and Ms. Jackie, the other Katherine, each appear in four shows each week. We auditioned because Dad convinced Mom that if we worked while she worked, then we would have the same days off and be together more."

"Sounds complicated." John finally says.

"Tell me about it." Rachel huffs blowing her bangs upward with faux frustration, "She doesn't want us to work because she doesn't like "actor" perks."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that my mom doesn't like the fact that actors are treated as somewhat _more than human_ simply because they are celebrities. She doesn't believe in hanging on the coattails of others and taking advantage of the generosity of people." Rachel extrapolates as best as she can possibly word it.

"What do you mean by hanging off the coattails of others?"

"Like I said before, my mom wants us to be "normal", as a result I will not be getting a car anytime soon unless I work for it by either getting a job myself or when my mother feels it is necessary for me to have one or am deserving of one. We aren't permitted to buy $100 jeans like all the other girls and $300 dresses. We are to maintain within a reasonable price range. She also wants us to attend a good university and _work_ towards our dreams, not simply because we are her children are we to be cast in a production or get into Harvard because Mommy and Daddy are wealthy. We have to _audition_ for our roles hoping that the casting directors won't be biased. We also have work for our grades and are expected to bring home at least a 3.2 GPA." Rachel rolls her eyes at the last part.

"Oh." John says, "I think I agree with your parents. You can't really get into an _outstanding_ university with anything lower than a 3.2 really and that is the minimum."

"True," Rachel nods, "She only has those expectations because she believes we are capable."

"What bothers me though is, people don't understand is we are just that…people."

"Exactly. For example, if we are at Disneyland and other people have been waiting longer than we have, and _when_ the manager comes up to us and politely asks us to step out of line in order to be escorted to the front. My mom will immediately decline and say that we have to wait our turn. She doesn't believe in special treatment and doesn't like it when celebrities are treated like some sort of deity simply because they are in the limelight. Yes my parents followed their dreams, do what they love, and have tons of opportunities, but they still fight with each other and us, are embarrassing, discipline their children, take a million pictures on the first day of school, talk unnecessarily loud when I'm tired, etc. just like everyone else."

"YES!" John concurs, slamming his palm on the rim of the steering wheel. "I love having long substantial talks with you."

"I agree mister sir."

* * *

><p><strong>Review?<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey! There are a lot of references to my favorite things in this one, (ie. book (_Paper Towns_ by John Green), shows, things I did as a kid, mind games I use on people etc.) Hope you like it! :)**

* * *

><p>"Identification please."<p>

"Oh yeah, sure," Johnathan replies, lifting up his torso in order to get his wallet out of his back pocket. Making quick work in grabbing his identification card and handing it to the security guard in the security booth, he anxiously waited for the man to swipe the card. Normally there were security guards on duty that he already knew. Their favorite was Joe, who always let them through without another glance. But whenever a new one was hired, it was always more of a hassle.

"Are we home?" Genny asks, lifting her head from its perch on the car seat, rubbing her eyes, and trying to gain consciousness.

"Almost. We are at the gate." Rachel quietly informs her, that way not wake up Maks and Charlie.

"Residents or visitors?" the security guard inquires, referring to the rest of the party.

"Residents." John replies, running his hand through his hair. _Can we keep it moving? We don't have all day._

"Names?"

"Rachel Corcoran," Rachel sighs with irritation, where was Joe when you need him? "Maks Corcoran, Genevieve Corcoran, and Charlotte Corcoran." After two infinite minutes of constant looking back to make sure their faces matched the provided photo on his computer screen, the security guard granted them entrance to their own neighborhood. They understood why they lived here and they enjoyed living here for the most part, but it can be extremely annoying at times. The security guard returned John's card and opened the gated for them.

The Corcoran family didn't live in a very, shall we say, conventional area. Back in the year 1902, a specific company of cartography, Wellington and Sons, published one of their maps and released it to the general public. There is playful practice amongst the companies that publish maps that consists of placing a fictitious city or place on their map in order to detect copyright infringement. Therefore if another company plagiarizes a map that has their specific fictitious city, then they can be sued. These places are often called "Paper Towns." Wellington and Sons placed a fake city named New Chrysler about 25 miles outside of New York City on their map.

When others went to look it up, they realized that New Chrysler was simply another paper town that consisted of several miles of untouched land bordered by an area with trees. In 1923, a large group of wealthy people decided to put the paper town to real use and began to secretly construct a large "neighborhood" of homes for wealthy families. That way they would be able to escape the public life, be away from the busyness of their work, and were in a neighborhood they felt safe.

It was to be like any normal suburban area, except the houses would be larger with a larger property than most suburban homes. The main road would break off into a gravel road that would spiral three times around an area of trees and grass until arriving at a security post, where one would be granted entrance to the neighborhood. Then past the security post would be a very high hill with a narrow road that one must drive up for about six minutes, then on the other side of the hill would be the neighborhood in all its splendor.

"Are we there yet?" Maks asks, who had woken up a few minutes prior.

"Maks, you have lived here for how many years? You know we are almost there." Rachel says through a clenched jaw. Genny and Maks had been repeatedly asking "Are we there yet?" and their ceaseless whining was beginning to get very irritating.

Finally after a few more minutes they arrived into the neighborhood. People lounging on their porches, children playing in the street, and teenagers walking and bicycling about. Passing Broadway Street, New England Drive, and Central Court, until they finally reached 40382 Manhattan Rd. A large house made with dark bricks, a white roof and pillars on the small porch, an expanse lawn, and a narrow drive way.

"Thanks for the ride." Rachel tells John as she rounded the car to the other side in order to get the slumbering Charlie awake and out of the car. While Maks and Genny scurried up the step, unlocked the house with the spare key hidden in the decorative ceramic turtle, swung the door open and zoomed inside. "Thanks for the help guys!" She rolls her eyes and attempts to gently shake her sister awake.

"Hey, do you need any…" John began.

"Do you need any help?" Someone calls from the doorway. Her mother making her way towards them with her brunette hair swooped up in a messy bun, grey sweatpants, grey socks, and her Dad's old _Rolling Stones _t-shirt.

"Yeah mom," Rachel says, moving out of the way so that her mom could reach down and pick Charlotte up. However, like always, Charlotte woke up and begins to complain about being woken up as she rubs her eyes and her mother places her onto her feet. "Oh shut up, you've been asleep for thirty minutes so stop whining."

"Shh…" Shelby hushes in an attempt to avoid an outburst on the part of one of her daughters. "Thank you Johnathan for bringing them home." She says as Rachel removes the car seat from the car and shuts the door.

"No problemo Mrs. C." Johnathan says.

"Smuck." Rachel mutters.

"Bye dog breath," He directs to Rachel before taking off down the road and heads to his house.

"Later cat piss!" She yells in the direction of his car. Johnathan sticks his arm out the window and mimics pulling a chain as he honks his horn, indicating that he heard her "term of endearment" and was amused. Shelby only smiles, takes her daughters' hands in her own, and leads them inside.

"Mommy!" Genevieve shouts, speeding down the stairs and into her arms. Meanwhile Charlie and Rachel head down the hall towards the living room where they could hear Maks watching television.

"Hey babes!" The mother responds, hugging her daughter tightly. "I missed you today."

"I missed _you_." Genevieve says tightly taking a hold of her mother's hand. Shelby smiles sensing some separation anxiety and kneels down in front of her.

"Hey. How about you and I, after I put Charlie to bed, go to my room, watch TV, and cuddle for a little while before I make dinner. Would you like that?"

"Mhmm." Genevieve nods her head with a bright smile.

"Okay." Shelby gets to her feet and takes Genny's hand into her own. "Let's go see what you're brother and sisters are doing."

~.~

"I don't want to drink some water." Charlotte whines as she sits on a stool at the breakfast bar, where her older siblings were also chugging down a cup of water.

"You need to drink water to stay hydrated," Shelby gently explains, "You haven't drank any all day and I am making fruit salad for lunch before I send you, little missy, up for a nap."

"I don't wanna take a nap." She whines again, leaning back against the stool and pouting.

"Tough." the mother says.

"But…"

"Charlie be quiet." Genny says exasperatingly.

"She's just cranky because she's tired. She didn't take her afternoon nap and had a full day in the city. Be patient with her." Shelby tells her, as she dumps a cup of strawberries into a large bowl.

"Oh. Just like we have to be patient with Rachel when Tom comes to visit her every month?" Genevieve innocently asks, causing Shelby to burst out in laughter and Rachel's cheeks to turn bright crimson.

"Shut up." Rachel mumbles, while Maks looks at the three of them in utter confusion.

"Who's Tom?" He genuinely asks, Rachel throws her hands up to cover her face in teenage frustration.

"You know Tom," Genny says trying to be discreet, "Tooooom." She says dragging out the word.

"I still don't get it."

"Tom. Come on Maks, it isn't that hard."

"Shut it Genny!" Rachel shouts, kicking Genevieve, who yelps out in pain.

Rubbing her calf, Genny loudly says, "Ohp! Looks like Tom's here!" in order to spite her sister.

Suddenly their father walks into the kitchen sorting through mail he must have picked up from the post office.

"Dad!"

"Hi Daddy!" With a smile Everett leans over the breakfast bar and kisses his wife on the cheek and does the same with each of his daughters. He tousles his son's beanie covered head.

"Who's Tom?" Everett curiously asks. At that Rachel stomps her foot and storms out of the room, trudges up the stairs, and slams her bedroom door. "What did I say?"

"She's just in a mood." Shelby informs him. A glint of amusement shines in her green eyes, taking the sight of her youngest fighting sleep. The little girl's head would slowly drop causing her to alarmingly lift it once more, only for it to occur again a few moments later.

"No. Tom's here." Genny argues before taking in a mouthful of fruit.

"Who's Tom?" Everett whispers to Maks.

"I don't know." Maks replies.

"Shell?" He asks, who was now placing Charlie her on her feet, taking her by the hand, and leading the little girl up to bed.

"You know," Shelby shrugs, "Tom." Then leaves the room with a scowling Charlotte, which left Everett and Maks staring at Genny skeptically.

"What just happened?"

Maks simply shrugs in response, stabbing a piece of cantaloupe.

Genny just shakes her head and says in a _duh_ tone, "Periods."

"Ew!"

~.~

"You can do it!"

"We will give you a boost." As of now, the three younger kids are on to a new unadulterated scheme. They are all gathered in their kitchen trying to reach the box of cookies that their mother intentionally placed in the high cabinet. Being as Charlie is the youngest, and small for her age, she was the easiest to lift in order to reach it.

"Come on Charlie." Genevieve insists, holding out her hands that had their fingers intertwined, "We've got you." Charlie bites her lip and twiddles with the hem of her Blue's Clues pajama shirt.

"Do you not trust us?" Maks inquires manipulatively, letting his hands fall to his sides.

"Yes but…" Charlie begins.

"Then what is the problem?" Maks interrupts.

"We gotta skidder before Mom comes!" Genny urges, referencing her favorite film _Eloise_.

"Okay, fine." Charlie relents, placing one of her _Blue's Clues_ slippers in Maks's hands and the other in Genny's. Both older siblings work together to balance their younger sister and lift her as high as possible, as Charlie stretches her arms as far as she can. Only being able to reach with her middle finger, she uses the tip of said finger to open the cabinet door, but not able to reach the box. "Higher!" With that, they try to lift her higher and higher, but their arms start to tremble from the weight.

"Hurry." Maks grunts, focusing on keeping his arms still.

"Yeah, hurry." Genny groans. Being a little higher was an advantage, but not much. She still couldn't grab the box, if only she could tip it over and let it fall to the ground.

"I can try and tip it."

"Tip it! Tip it!"

"Hurry!"

"Tip it!"

"I'm trying!" Charlie sticks her tongue out to the side, concentrating on the box when they hear someone yell "AHA!" startling them. The older two almost drop Charlie, but catch her mid-fall and place her on her feet. It was their dad, leaning against the kitchen counter, smirking.

"Whatcha doin?" He asks.

"Nothing." All three chime, with innocent faces.

"Suuuure." Everett drags out the word, "Trying to get that box of cookies huh?" He looks up at the open cabinet door and all kids look back at it in faux surprise.

"What?" Maks asks. This was his way of getting out of everything, well at least trying to. You just ask the person _'What?'_ repeatedly, even though you fully understood what they said, and act confused until they drop the subject. It has about a 75% effective rate.

"Okay, here's the deal." Everett looks around and places his index finger to his lips, then leans in close to them, "I am going to walk out of here as if I saw nothing and what happens in the kitchen stays in the kitchen. But you can't go telling your mom I saw you in order justify your wrong doing if you get caught kay?" All three nod and Everett smiles conspiringly as he leaves the room.

"Quick!" They take their previous places and Charlie stretches as far as she can but it still doesn't work.

"The pantry!" Genevieve suddenly says, motioning for Maks to put Charlotte down. "She can climb the shelves of the pantry because she is the one less likely to break it."

"Good thinking." Maks says, "Climb the shelves okay." He opens the mahogany door, and guides her to the shelves. Charlotte only nods and expertly begins to climb the shelves. _They had done this before. Obviously. _Once she reaches as high as her fears allow her to go, she extends her arm as far as possible until she finally tips the box over and it comes crashing down. "Yes!" They all say in unison as they help bring Charlie back down to solid ground.

"Great going C." Maks gives her a high five as Genevieve picks up the box and greedily digs through it. She pulls out three cookies and hands one out to each person, before she indulges in the sweet chocolaty goodness that is a Hispanic Oreo-like cookie. With yummy cookies in her mouth, Charlotte begins to sway doing some kind of mellow happy dance and Maks takes the box from Genevieve and shoves his arm in the box looking for another. Suddenly hear nails tapping on the wall behind them. _Uh-oh._

Maks is the first to see her, being as her was the one facing toward the opening of the kitchen, and quickly hides the box behind his back. Short red acrylic nails, each tapping on the wall, one by one. As the moments pass, each tap seems to get louder and louder until they echo in the children's ears. They felt emerald green eyes bore into their skin. Those nails. That sound. Those eyes. They knew them very well. _Mom._

Slowly they turn and find themselves face to face with their mother, who was clad in her pajamas and leaning against the wall, with one hand on her hip. _Gulp. Busted_. "Didn't I already put each of you to bed?"

"Technically, you didn't put me to bed yet." Genevieve speaks up, but after seeing the look she is receiving, her eyes are averted downward. Shelby moves from her stance by the wall and stand before her mischievous children with her arms crossed expectantly.

"What you got there Maks?" She condescendingly asks.

"N-nothing." Charlie quickly responds.

"I was asking Maks." Shelby tells her, which immediately makes her recoil backwards by a few steps. "Maks?"

"Nothing Mom." Maks says, just above a whisper.

"Hmmm…" She murmurs, "What's behind your back…" When Genevieve opens her mouth to say something, she adds "Maks."

"My hand." Maks rapidly answers.

"Let me see then." Maks takes his hand out from behind his back and shows it to his expectant mom.

"Now let me see the other." But Maks now stays frozen in his place and doesn't move to show her the other hand. "Maks," She warns, "Let me see your other hand."

"No it's okay." Maks responds as his sisters' eyes begin to shift towards him to see how he would handle the situation.

"Oh really?" Shelby challenges. "One." The eyes of each kid widen in fear, _this will not end well_, and they begin to nervously look to one another.

"Two." _Now it was serious._ They all began to shift from foot to foot and Maks bit his lip anxiously. _There was no getting around this._

"Thr-…"

"Here." Maks relents, shoving the box of forbidden cookies towards her and the shoulders of his younger sisters slumped in disappointment. _But everyone knew, never let a parent get to three. NEVER. Unless you have some kind of death wish._

Shelby smirks triumphantly as she takes the box from her son's hand and inspects it, only to see that it is one of the boxes of Latin American cookies her mother-in-law gave the kids on her last visit a week ago. The kids seemed to love them so much that they all finished one box entirely the first day, which is what made her hide the other two in the cabinet so that she could give them each their portion when asked. Though somehow the little buggers found their way into the cabinet and have been munching on them.

"Are you supposed to be eating sweets before bed?" Shelby asks them.

"No." They remorsefully respond.

"Why?"

"Because it disrupts our sleep by the amount of sugar intake in our bodies, which causes us to have bursts of hyperactive energy." Maks recites her constant reprimand, word for word.

"Okay then." Shelby places the box of cookies on the counter and turns back to her little troublemakers. "Off to bed before I decide to smack you." She light-heartedly states.

Immediately her children scramble past her and out of the room and up the stairs, until she sees a Maks's Pokémon slipper disappear up the last step. She then reaches into the open box of cookies, and slips one of them into her mouth, shaking her head. _Those kids._

~.~

"Can someone please tell me why our stupid school makes us learn the Pledge of Allegiance in four different languages?! Three of which, I will most likely never speak in my entire life! When am I ever going to have to say the Pledge of Allegiance in Latin?" Johnathan rants aloud as he and Rachel make their way down the hallowed halls of Lincoln Preparatory Academy.

"Or Mandarin or French." Rachel adds, shuffling through her binder that she has in her arms, trying to find her English notes to give to John, "Like seriously? If I ever go to France or China, I can't ask where the nearest hospital is. I don't know how to ask for more water. Or even how to ask for directions. But I can definitely tell you the Pledge of Allegiance in your native tongue, even though it is only relevant in AMERICA!"

"Exactly! Also I don't understand why school requires us to wear uniforms and suppressing our individuality, thus oppressing our creativity. It seems to me that they want to mold us into miniature versions of themselves. Dull and systematized." John responds, crossing his arms.

"The fiends!" Rachel shouts, "This is probably why there is so much sexual frustration in this school."

"Yeah everyone seems to have a stick shoved up their ass. The frustration is real." John begins as they reach Rachel's locker and struggles to open it.

"Especially Mrs. Norton, her face always looks like she's eaten something bitter." Rachel mimics a sour expression in response and joins Johnathan in a belly laugh.

"Forget the paper, let's go get lunch. I'm starving."

"Me too." Rachel quickly drops everything in her locker, closes it, and they head to the lunchroom.

The lunchroom is, as usual, crowded with a sea of kids all wearing the horrendous navy blue and white uniforms, and chattering about this weekend's activities. It is Halloween and there is much more excitement in the atmosphere than usual. Everyone is planning what they are going to do that night and the fabulous parties that are being planned. However _she_ is going to be accompanying her younger siblings, and John of course, trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. On the bright side, they are serving cheese pizza for lunch today instead of their nasty, microwavable, chalupas.

"Hey, I have an idea." Rachel says, as they settle at their designated table with their black trays of food.

"And what is that exactly?" John asks as he opens his water bottle and takes a sip.

"We should trick-or-treat in the city," Rachel suggests, "I know my mom already said no last year, but it will be fun! The Plaza Hotel gives out lots of candy, they have events in Bryant Park, Time Square is buzzing with people, and it will be awesome. Plus we can do that in the early hours of the night, around 8 until 10ish because all of the kid events are early, then head back home and trick-or-treat around the neighborhood before curfew at 11."

"Sounds cool." He takes a large bite out of his pizza and they fall into a comfortable silence as they chewed.

"I'm just worried Genny or Charlie might say something to my mom that will blow our cover. I know Maks won't say anything, but I make no promises for the girls." Rachel explains, once she is done chewing.

"Yeah you're right." John agrees trying to rack his brain for a way to pull off their plan.

"You know what I don't understand?" Rachel asks, trying her hardest to open her water bottle.

"What?" He rolls his eyes at his friend's utter weakness, takes the bottle from her, and opens it with little to no effort at all. She gives him a 'whatever' look and snatches it from him.

"You know how Ms. Geller was talking to us about the anatomy of the human eye today?" She explains, referring to their biology teacher.

"Yeah?"

"You know how she was talking about how the pupil is simply absence of tissue and basically is an empty hole in which light enters and through where we are able to see."

"Yeah?"

"And how the iris limits the amount of light that enters the pupil and the cornea and crystalline lens focus the light until it reaches the retina. Then when it reaches the retina, coverts the image into electronic signals that go to the brain allowing us to process the information."

"And why are you giving me a review of our anatomy lesson during our precious lunch hour? I slept through the first lesson, don't make me fall asleep through yours." He says, pointing his fork at her. "Because I will. Don't test me Madame Curie."

"Madame Curie was a physicist, NOT a biologist."

"Does it really matter?"

"Yes if you are referencing the world's most famous female scientist."

"Shut up and finish your thought before I block you out."

"Well my ultimate question is, what part of the eye allows you to see?" John opens his mouth to respond, then shuts it, scrunching his eyebrows in confusion.

"What do you mean?" John asks.

"Like...what part of the eye allows you to see. Well…what part of our anatomy allows us to see?"

"The retina, duh."

"No. The retina simply converts the image into brain signals."

"Then your crystalline lens." She shakes her head.

"That is just where the image is seen through. Like when you are looking through a camera lens, the lens isn't seeing. You are."

"Then your brain." John concludes.

"Nope! You brain just receives the information and processes it so you generate thoughts and emotions towards it."

"I don't understand what you're asking." He scratches his nose. "Do you know the answer and are testing me or what?"

"No I am legitimately asking." She confirms. "What allows you to see? What part of your body is the actual seeing part? You see _through_ your eyes and your brain processes what you see, but what exactly allows you to _see_?"

"I don't know! I am not some divine higher power that knows all of these things!" John throws his arms up in the air.

"But…what do you think?" Rachel presses, taking a bite of her pizza.

"I guess I stick with my analysis that the brain allows you to see because it is what controls your eyes, thoughts, emotions, well…everything."

"Then let me ask you this." She mischievously smirks. "How is the brain, being as it is composed of tissue, veins, neurons, neurotransmitters, blood, and all that good stuff, able to do all those magnificent things? If it is merely a giant lump of tissue and nerves, how can it do all of those things? And what composes a thought? Electronic activity? And if so, how is an electronic spark able to generate a thought? A simple spark is a thought? Really?"

"Maybe we are spiritual beings and are using this body as some sort of 'armor' so we can live in this world for a higher purpose." John explains.

"What higher purpose?"

"Possibly a higher purpose that our spiritual being knows, but has to somehow teach our mortal selves to know." He shrugs, trying his best to come up with plausible answers.

"Then what makes you so sure that we are spiritual beings?"

"Oh shut up Rachel." John glares at her. "Stop trying to be some annoying Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, or some other stupid philosopher that questioned everything."

"I can go all day baby!" She smirks, rubbing her hands together. He laughs and then suddenly notices school's head jerk approaching; Jesse St. James.

"Jerk off, four o'clock." Rachel looks over her shoulder and sees Jesse coming towards them. His brown _Ivy League_ styled hair, sleeves of his blazer rolled up past his elbows, and a smug smolder. _Why was he coming to their table? Since when did he associate with them? _

"Hey Rachel. It's Rachel right?" He questions making sure he said the right name, and proceeds to lean against the table, a little too close that would be considered normal.

"Yeah," She confirms, "That's me." John simply rolls his eyes and decides to be "too engrossed in stirring his applesauce" than to pay attention to his irritatingly flirtatious ways.

"So…will you give me permission to be one hundred percent cliché, to the point where you are going to feel like you are in a cheesy 80's movie?" He asks, combing his hand through his hair.

"Yeah, sure." She laughs in response, forcing herself not to make herself look stupid in front of him.

"So…yeah…there is this party going on at my house tonight. No parents. Sick music, got a guy who knows how to mix some really cool songs. A kegs of beer. Tons of unadulterated fun. And since most of us live in The Community…" That is what the residents of New Chrysler called the neighborhood, "…only the cool kids are invited. So, I was wondering if you'd like to come." He says the last word in more of a questioning tone than a statement.

"Yeah why not?" Rachel affirms. "Sounds cool."

"I hope so!" Jesse says enthused and takes a seat right beside her. "It is going to be really awesome because…"

"Rachel?" John interrupts in order to break her stupid trance that is Jesse St. James, "Hey Rach? Yeah remember me? Johnathan Gilmore? Yeah, hi there. What about Maks, Genny, and Charlie?"

"I'll figure that out later." Rachel tells him through her clenched jaw, using her eyes to point at Jesse, telling him that this was not the time to be asking such questions.

"Oh! John buddy! I didn't see you there," Jesse animatedly shouts, which caused John to scoff because he knows full well that Jesse had noticed him. "Don't think I forgot about you bro. You're invited too." At this Johnathan perked up. _How in the world was Jesse St. James, __The __Jesse St. James, inviting him to The Party of the Century? The same Jesse who in fifth grade made it his life's mission to trip him every day in gym during the mile run. Jesse, who spread a rumor around school saying that he was gay in the 8th grade and to this day people still questioned his sexuality. This same Jesse was asking him to attend his Halloween party?_

"What's the catch?" John spat back, with a raised eyebrow. Rachel smacked his arm, silently telling him to be polite.

"No catch." Jesse simply states, "Just wear a pretty sick costume and we are good." He then turned his attention back to Rachel and smiled. "See you tonight." He winks and walks away in the direction of the rest of his jock friends.

"What a douche." John mumbled.

"Can you believe it?! We just got invited to Jesse St. James's Halloween party!" Rachel squeals, totally forgetting about her food.

"Ahem." John interjects, "What about the kids? What about trick-or-treating?"

"The kids will be fine. My twelve-year-old cousin Noah is going trick-or-treating too. They can just trick-or-treat around The Community with him. We are way too old to be trick-or-treating anyway. We are going to be seniors next year! We need to start living it up and making ourselves known!"

"It's a Monday night, we have to do a show tomorrow evening, and therefore we shouldn't spend all night partying anyhow. Plus your curfew is at eleven." John deadpans, listing all of the reasons why they should not attend.

"We can figure out all that later." She says again.

"What about the costumes? We went scouring the city yesterday just to retrieve them." He reminds her through a mouth full of half-chewed pizza.

"…Oh crap! The costumes." Rachel slaps her forehead, "We can't go as Eponine and Marius. They will all think we are geeks!"

"We are _Broadway_ actors." John reminds her, "Plus, what ever happened to "Be Yourself."

"I've got an idea." Rachel completely ignores his statement and blunt reminder of her daily mantra, "I know what we are going to wear. This is going to be epic!" She then begins to list things that she will need to remember in order to plan their new operation, entitled "Party of the Century".

"This. Will. Not. End. Well." John says to himself as he stabs at his side salad.

* * *

><p><strong>Review?<strong>

**I really don't want to be THAT writer who makes you feel bad for not reviewing, I just encourage you to do so. I would really like to know what you think and it encourages me to keep posting :)**


	4. Chapter 4

"Hide-n Seek!"

"No, Tag."

"I want to go on the swings." That afternoon after school, Maks, Genevieve, and Charlotte spend their time in their neighborhood's small park, like many the other children in the community. The playground had a grounds for playing on the jungle gym, swings, slides, and other typical playground equipment and then had about half an acre of grass, for the purposes of playing sports that was enclosed by the forest of trees.

Presently the Corcoran kids were sitting in a circle on the freshly cut lawn trying to decide what game would suit the three of them to play. "I want to go on the swings." Charlotte reiterates her claim as she rips handfuls of grass from its roots and sprinkles the leaves onto her pale legs.

"Why don't I ever get to pick what we play?" Genevieve frowns.

"Fine," He relents, "You can pick." He leans back on his elbows and stretches his legs out as far as possible in order to get comfortable.

"Yay!" Genevieve perks up.

"But I wanted to pick." Charlotte slumps her shoulders in disappointment.

"Next time okay? Let Genny have her turn, you picked last time." Maks reasons and Charlotte dejectedly nods.

"I still pick hide-n-seek." Genny restates, "Nose-goes!" Quickly Maks and Genny touch their noses with their index finger and it takes Charlie a second to process what just happened.

"Hey!" She whines, "I wasn't ready."

"That's the point doofus." Maks shakes his head.

"Do over. Do over." Charlie argues, crossing her arms.

"Okaaaay…" Genny slowly says before shouting, "Nose goes!" Once again Genny and Maks were quicker than their younger sister.

"You guys cheated again." She groans.

"How did we cheat?" Maks scoffs, "We just touched our noses."

"I don't like this way," Charlie stand up on her feet and sticks one foot out before her, "Feet Probabability."

"You mean probability?" Maks raises his eyebrow in confusion.

"Yeah!" She nods.

"Fine." Genny and Maks stand on their feet and they all crowd in a circle, shoulder to shoulder, both feet together.

"Nice calluses Gen." Maks admires as he looks down at his little sister's hands. "But not as big as mine!" He holds out his hands for Genevieve to see, revealing two large calluses on his palms.

"Not even!" Genevieve responds, holding up her hands next to his. "Mine are bigger, I spend more time on the jungle gym than you."

"Look at mine!" Charlie holds her palms out.

"Yours are little." Maks responds. "But impressive for a kindergartener."

"Mine are bigger than Michael's because we race on the monkey bars and I always win." Charlie proudly smiles.

"High-five!" Genevieve and Charlie slap each other's palms.

"Alright back to the game." Maks says, before he crouches down and begins the nursery rhyme.

After every word he touches each foot and chants, "Bubble gum, Bubble gum, In. A. Dish…How. Many. Pieces. Do. You. Wish?" His finger lands on Genny's black uniform shoe.

"Seventeen!" Genny shouts.

"Ugh!" Maks complains, "Really?" Genny mischievously smirks and nods. "Fine. One, Two, Three, Four…" He counts, numbering each shoe before he gets to the tedious number of seventeen and it lands on Charlie's identical uniform shoe. "Okay C, one of your feet are out."

"Yes!" Charlie half says, half whispers, and does the gratifying jerking back of her elbow in satisfaction.

"Okay," Maks begins again, "'Eenie. Meenie. Miny, Moe. Catch. A Tiger. By. It's Toe. If he hollers. Let. Him. Go. Eenie. Meenie. Miny. Moe.' Yay! My foot is out." Maks celebrates and brings his black uniform shoe backward. "Okay now I am going to say one that my friend Alex taught me."

"Zapatito Blanco. Zapatito Azul. Dime cuantos años tienes Tu." He recites in a slightly off Hispanic accent. It lands on Charlie.

"Cinco!" She answers, using the Spanish she had learned from her Dad and Abuelita.

"One. Two. Three. Four. Five… Genny's out."

"Hey Bieber!" A malicious voice call out and Maks stiffens in recognition of the voice, "Hey Bieber! I'm calling you!" With as much pride as he can scrounge up, Maks stands up to his full height and slowly turns around to face who was coming forth.

Genevieve gazes up and sees four large boys walking towards them with purpose, but there was one that catches her attention. He was a tall, stocky boy, obviously about three inches taller than her brother, who looked like he had been held back for two years because he couldn't possibly be a 5th grader. "Sup Bieber, being a little _wuss_ I see."

"Come on, let's go guys." Maks irately says, leading the way past the group of boys, but is pushed backwards by one of the boy's irrelevant gawky friends.

"Wow Biebs, do you not have any manners?" the large boy taunts. Maks internally fumes with rage.

"Get out of my way!" Maks demands, balling his fists. Charlotte gradually inches towards her brother and stands slightly behind him.

"Why does he keep calling you Bieber, Maks?" she inquires.

"Don't you see it runt?" The boy spat, "His long hair combed to the side and he constantly whips his hair out of his eyes in true Bieber fashion! The only thing that ruins it is that stupid beanie that he wears every day." Maks rolls his eyes, his hair was fashioned similar to that, but it didn't look exactly like Justin Bieber's. It wasn't as preppy as Bieber's and not as dorky as Macaulay Culkin in _Home Alone 2_, it was in the middle! "But are blind hobbit? Maybe you should get your Mommy to get your eyes checked."

"Don't talk to my sister like that Cornelius!" Maks shouts, balling his fists. Cornelius stalks up to him, mere inches from his face and grabs the collar of Maks's blue blazer.

"The name is Shredder, twinkle toes." Shredder spits in Maks's sun-deprived face, "And don't you forget it."

"Yeah. Yeah. Whatever Corn." Maks rolls his eyes, at that Shredder shoves him to the ground and stands above him, while Charlie hides behind her older sister, whose face at turned crimson with fury.

"Playing with the girls I see, why is that?" A boy with a Mohawk, Crush, devilishly smirk, "Is it because you are a girl?"

"I babysit and play with my sisters to keep them entertained," Maks explains, "Is that a problem? At least I know how to be nice, douchebag."

"Oh he's nice guys. He's "nice"…Where's your tutu Broadway boy? Mommy has it?" He cackles loudly as they all exchange side fives and fist bumps. "Hey guys, check it. While we are out riding on our BMX bikes and playing with PS4s, Bieber over here is playing house in his tutu, prancing around like the wuss he really is." He taunts as Maks is finally able to get on his feet and dusts off his dark blue uniform khakis. "His mom and dad are rich and famous, but his idiot family live like the Amish."

"Tell me brainless," A gawky boy named Scooter begins, "Why don't you have the new iPhone 6 yet? Or any phone, tablet, or laptop for that matter?"

"Shut up! You asshole!" Maks yells. Charlie's jaw drops at the words coming out of her brother's mouth, while Genny stands with her arms crossed and nods approvingly.

"Princess, why won't Mommy buy you guys any cool electronic toys?" a boy named Blaze, asks Charlotte, putting his hands on his knees and getting down to her supposed eye level.

"Because Mommy says we are too young and still need to play while we can." Charlie confidently states, sincerely believing she told the boy off. But in reality all the boys start to laugh, Maks sends her the death glare, and Genny rears her arm back to smack her sister in the stomach. "Ow!" She whines and Genny shakes her head in her direction. "But. But. We have an Xbox 360 and a Blu-ray Player in the living room!" The little girl says trying to make up for what she said, but was ignored by the older boys because they were still laughing.

"How cute. What do you think boys? How about we teach the Corcorans a lesson about how we do things in America since their White Hispanic slash Jewish heritage makes them culturally impaired." Shredder cracks his neck and rolls his shoulders back as the other three boys stupidly nod in response. Making them appear like the idiotic hyenas who follow Scar in _The Lion King_. The girls hide behind one of the oak trees in fear and Maks narrows his eyes, lifts his fists, and prepares to defend himself, when a large figure swoops in front of him.

"Problem, gentlemen?" The older boy calmly says, sizing them up. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" Shredder's entourage tread backwards when they realize the older boy wearing a football uniform and helmet in hand.

"What are you going to do about it?" Shredder asks, trying to look as intimidating as possible, face to face with the boy who was about his same height.

"Have you ever seen _The Human Centipede_? Basically that. Don't worry…I'll make sure pinhead's butt is sewed onto your face." The boy says, almost knocking the wind out of Shredder when he pummels his helmet against his stomach with full force.

"You and what army?" Shredder chokes out, holding his stomach, while the others stand defensively.

"Oh, just them." The boy points towards a group of about twelve other boys in football uniforms, some intimidatingly standing with their arms crossed and others slapping their fists against their palms.

"U-uh…Ch-chill man, we were just messing around." Shredder stammers with his hands up in surrender.

"Get out of here," The older boy says unfazed, "Or I'll keep my promise about sewing you all together." Shredder is the first to book it down the street and the rest stumble behind him.

When Maks's bullies disappear down the road, the older boy holds his hand out for a side five and says, "Sup, bro", but Maks does not return the gesture or enthusiasm.

"I was handling it." Maks barks at the boy as the girls come out from their place of refuge, relieved that their brother's face was still intact.

"Oh please, they were ten feet taller than you and were totally going to cream you. It wasn't fair game."

"I was handling it, Noah!" Maks reiterates, getting in his older cousin's face.

"It was four against one. Be a man and accept help when you need it," Noah spits back, shoving his cousin back by the shoulders. "Chill out."

"Fine."

"But that's not the only reason I came here…Oh hey girls!" Noah takes notice of the little girls' appearance and gives both Genny and Charlotte high-fives, "How's it hangin'?"

"Like a tie on a doorknob." Charlotte proudly replies.

"Does she know what that means?" Maks asks with wide green eyes.

"Probably not." Noah says waving him off. Charlie curiously raises her eyebrow at the assessment.

"What does it mean?" Charlie asks.

"Don't teach her that kind of stuff, she's five. That's just wrong. Plus if she ever says that in front of my mom and she catches on to what it means, _I'm_ dead. Not you." Maks frantically explains.

"What does it mean?"

"Yeah, what does it mean?" Genny echoes.

"Re-lax. It's not that big of a deal." He says dismisses. "Excuse us guys."

"But!" Noah ignores them and takes Maks aside in order to tell him something in private. "Now listen, we have an extremely important order of business we have to execute by tonight and I am going to need your help. Rachel texted me while I was in school, telling me that it is only going to be us trick-or-treating so it makes this all the more perfect." He quietly explicates.

"What?" Maks says in an annoyed fashion, irritated that his pride had been crushed but silently grateful for his cousin's heroism. It would have been nice to go home with a black eye, just to have said he had been in a fight, but leaving out the part about whether or not he had won said fight.

"We are going to pull the biggest prank of the year by night fall AND we are going to get those twerps back for messing with you. You in?" Noah encourages with a tint of mystery in his voice.

"But how?" Maks's ear perk up with evident curiosity.

"Supplies now, details later. I have a rope, shower gel, scissors, paint, binoculars, and walkie-talkies. All I need from you is make-up, an old t-shirt and pair of jeans we can rip up, and a prop. You in or not?"

"I'm in."

"Great!"

~.~

Later that day Genevieve and Rachel found themselves in Rachel's room watching their new favorite movie _Frozen_ on the teen's laptop, as Rachel texts Johnathan and Genny colors in her coloring book. Even though the children had their own bedroom, one of the younger kids always somehow finds their way into her bedroom to con her into doing something with them, or simply just letting them sit on the bed with her as she goes about her business.

**J: So are we really going to this party?**

**R: Yeah why not?**

**J: It just doesn't seem like a good idea to me.**

**R: You just don't like Jesse -_-**

After the message was sent, Rachel laid back down on her back and stared up at the theatre, music, DFTBA, and nerdfighteria posters and playbills that aligned her walls. She places her feet onto the wall and listens to the film that her sister continues to watch.

"Hey." Genevieve whines.

"What?" Rachel asks looking up at her.

"You're not watching the movie." Genny pouts.

"I am. I am listening to it while I text John." Rachel explains. "It's important."

"Fine." Genevieve says. After a few moments of singing and tapping her foot in time to 'Do You Want to Build a Snowman?' Rachel's phone chirps, alerting her of a new message.

**J: True. But that has nothing to do with it. 1. We already promised the kids we would go with them and 2. These are always the types of parties where kids get drunk, have sex, fight, and other stupid stuff and 3. We have a show to do, we can't spend our lives drunk.**

**R: You act like we are going to get drunk every day after one party. Chill. : P**

**J: I guess.**

**R: We are teenagers, it's the prime of our lives! We will never get our youth back after it is gone and we will wither into adults. Why not live it up now?**

**J: If you say so.**

**R: Do you sincerely not want to go?**

**J: It's not that, it's just…I mean if you really want to…**

**R: Nah. It's fine then. We don't have to go. We can still go to the city to trick-or-treat. I know my mom said no last year, but maybe she'll say yes this time**

**J: What makes fifteen year old you any different from fourteen year old you? o.o**

**R: I was young and immature back then. **

**J: Ha! Oookay…**

**R: Shut up! I'm trying to find alternatives because of your fraidy cat self. XP**

**J: Yeah whatever. Just ask. .-.**

Just then her dark wooden bedroom door flies open, startling them both, and slams against her peach colored wall. Revealing a cheeky Maks wearing his _Kings_ jersey and beanie, being as he and their dad were huge hockey fans. Why _LA Kings _fans and not _NY Rangers_ fans, she would never know.

"Maks!" Rachel barks as she puts her iPhone face down, so it reveals her _Once Upon a Time_ case. "I've told you a billion times not the slam my freaking door!"

"Mom says it is time for dinner." He shrugs, ignoring her reprimands and runs away towards the stairs.

With a roll of her eyes, she tells her sister, "Come on, let's go." They slide themselves out of bed and head downstairs. On the first floor Maks and Everett were in the large family room engrossed in _another_ preseason hockey game and occasionally would shoot up with their arms up and let out loud victorious yells when the Kings would make a goal. _Was it a goal? Oh well, it didn't matter anyway, what would she know about hockey? _

"Who's playing?" Genny asks, with coloring book and crayons in hand, gazing at the television.

"Kings versus Flames." Everett quickly says, then immediately glues his hazel eyes to the television.

"Oh." She responds, uninterested. "Daddy?"

"Yes?" Everett asks still looking at the screen.

"Will you color with me?" Genny softly asks, holding up her _Disney_ Princess coloring book.

"What?" Everett asks, finally gazing over at her daughter and hesitates, but her pleading eyes make him waver. "Sure. Sure let's get our coloring on!" Genevieve quickly races over to join them and Daddy and daughter lay on their stomachs and spread out all their supplies on the carpet.

Rachel smiles at the sight and hears her brother ask "So you have any Transformers coloring pages?" as she passes by them. Parallel to the family room is the kitchen, where Shelby was toasting slices of bread in the buttering the ones already toasted, while Charlie stands on a stepping stool mixing, _an already turned off_, pot of marinara sauce.

"Nice bedhead munchkin." Rachel teases, taking her little sister's head with her hands and shuffles her little poof. The kindergartner had recently awakened from her daily nap with her short curly hair tangled into a gigantic puff. The little girl grunts in return and shakes her head to get her sister off. "Mooom."

"Rachel leave her alone." Shelby laughs. Her eldest stands on her tip toes in order to peek into the boiling pot and then slumps down and looks to her mother with a pout.

"Spaghetti?" Rachel scrunches her nose, "Again?"

"Maks wanted it." Charlie informs her, never taking her eyes away from the sauce, "I wanted chocolate cake." Rachel raises her eyebrow, waiting for her to say she was joking, but Charlie never joked about chocolate cake.

"It was your brother's turn to pick." Shelby responds, adding another slice of bread to the plate full of bread.

"Sure you have enough bread mom?" Rachel leaned on the counter with her elbows and gazes up at her mother with a glint of mischief in her brown eyes.

"We are a family of six, what do you expect?" Shelby sticks her tongue out at Rachel playfully, who does the same in return.

"But do you understand how much gluten you are forcing me to digest?! I mean spaghetti has so much gluten _and_ along with bread! It is glue for your thighs!" She jokes.

"That's why it's quinoa pasta with spinach and tomatoes and Ezequiel bread."

"Still. Don't you think a nice massaged kale salad would be better?" Rachel teases, shaking her head mock disapprovingly.

"You try feeding your father and siblings a kale salad," Shelby answers knowing full well that her daughter was bothering her out of full boredom, "Now stop bugging me and go set the table." She spins her daughter around and sends her off with a push.

"But what about my health!" Rachel bellows as she takes out the place mats out from the cupboard.

"Listen freak, quinoa pasta won't kill you." Shelby responds, throwing a balled up napkin in her daughter's direction.

"My poor intestines! My digestive system! My My…!"

"Don't you have something better to do?" Shelby asks as she starts serving food onto the plates.

"You're the one making me set the table!"

"Then go do it then."

"But I love being with you Mommy."

"Shut up." Shelby rolls her eyes. "Go do what I told you to do." At times, because Shelby was young when she had Rachel, they often times act like sisters towards one another rather than mother and daughter. With all her children actually, she tries her best to be like a friend to them, but be a mom and disciplinarian when need be.

"Mommy! I love you." Rachel inches her way towards her mom, until she had her by the waist and begins to pepper her face with kisses in order to annoy her.

"Rach stop it!" Shelby laughs, putting the plate of food down, and proceeds to use her free hands to tickle her daughter's ribs, which causes Rachel to let go and fall into a fit of laughter. While Charlie laughs enjoying their entertaining antics.

"Curse your quick wits!" She shouts in between laughs, "Mercy! Mercy!" Being her _obviously_ merciful self, Shelby lets her daughter go and shoves her head slightly forward.

"Go set the table weirdo."

"If I am weird, then you're calling yourself weird because I am your child. Your offspring. The fruit of your loins. The love of your life. The…" Her mother interrupts her by placing her hand over her daughter's mouth and rolling her eyes.

"Set. The. Damn. Table." She light-heartedly whispers. She lets her go and grabs a hand towel, winds it up and snaps her daughter's arm before picking Charlie up and sitting her on the counter in order tame the unruly hair.

"Okay Mommy." Rachel giggles and skips out of the room. Shaking her head, Shelby looks over at the beaming Charlie and says, "You're sister is weird" as she ties the curls into a ponytail. Charlie simply shrugs and says:

"You got that right sister."

Once in the dining room, all surrounding the rectangle wood table, everyone sat shamelessly eating their food. Shelby and Everett at the ends of the table, Rachel and Maks on one side, and Charlotte and Genevieve on the other. Maks and Everett in a deep conversation about the recorded Kings game, Rachel cautiously texting John under the table, Genevieve and Charlotte complaining about the food, and Shelby monitoring them all.

"What's this green stuff?" Genevieve whines, holding up a soggy leaf of spinach with her index finger and thumb as if it were going to bite her.

"It's just spinach stupid." Rachel says, taking a bite of her bread, "Just eat it."

"Rach." Shelby reprimands, it was only one word, but Rachel couldn't argue with it so shut her mouth and returned to eating.

"I don't like tomatoes." Charlotte whined, pushing her plate away.

"I'm sorry honey, I forgot to keep the vegetables separate. Just take them out, but you should really eat them. They are good for you." Shelby gently reasons.

Shelby is a very health conscious person and does everything in her power to get her kids and husband to eat as healthy as possible. She even went raw vegan for about three years, which is why Rachel as no problem with pulse foods. However when Everett had his diabetic scare a few years ago, the entire family was forced to adapt to a new way of living, whether they liked it or not.

"But I don't like it." Genevieve whines, folding her arms and slumps back into her chair. Charlotte and Genevieve almost always refuses to eat her vegetables, which is why Shelby hardly ever puts any in her food, but today she forgot. _She is a mother of four, sue her._ But every morning and evening, she prepares each of her children drink a sweet fruit and vegetable blend made in her NUTRiBULLET in order to ensure they got their greens in for the day.

"Just pick it out. It won't bite you." Shelby jokes. Genevieve sighs and begins to pick out all the disgusting, soggy, spinach leaves and pieces of tomatoes, but Charlie stays there staring at her food. "Come on Charlotte, just eat it."

"Take it out for me?" Charlie quietly asks, lifting her bowl and tries to hand it to her mother.

"You are a big girl. You can do it." Charlie's eyebrows knit as she puts the bowl down and begins to whine, fixing for a tantrum.

"But…" Charlie begins, angrily kicking her feet against the leg of her chair.

"Charlotte Evangeline, I am not above sending you to your room right now without having any dinner. So I suggest you act like the big girl you are, pick out the parts of your food you do not like, and eat what you do like." Shelby says in an authoritative tone, cutting off the tantrum before it happens. Since Charlotte turned five, it has been the mother's absolute mission to teach her youngest how to be independent in the small things because she'd be damned if she allowed her to become spoiled like many youngest children are. Then, although she doesn't like it, Charlie irately begins to pick at her food and eat all of the noodles she can salvage from her bowl.

"So Dad?" Rachel speaks up, moving her fork from side to side in her bowl, but not making a move to eat any of the food.

"So Rach?" Their dad responds, trying to be funny.

"So…John and I have been talking and…"

"Oh, this should be good." Shelby interrupts, taking a drink of her red wine.

"_And_." Rachel emphasizes the word, silently telling her mom to let her finish, "I know you guys said no last year, but we were wondering if we could go trick-or-treating in the city instead of in the community. But before you say no, hear me out! I know you guys say it's dangerous, but I'll be with John and there will be a bunch of people. We will be safe and responsible about the whole situation. We will stay on well-populated streets and we won't get caught by the paparazzi because the kids have costumes that cover their faces and Johnathan and I have stage make-up. Please Dad. Please?"

"Shelby, you can take this one." Everett says, knowing full well how his wife felt about the kids being out in the city alone after dark. Especially since their oldest was only fifteen and extremely naïve about people and it being 25 miles away, but an hour away with the irritating New York traffic. Although in all honesty he did not have a problem with them going to the city as long as an adult were to be with them, but Shelby prefers for them to stay in their neighborhood.

"Honey," Shelby sighs. "We've gone over this. I would feel a lot safer if I knew you were in The Community and not two teenage little kids alone in New York City."

"But we are in the city all the time for the show and other events." Rachel argues, even though she knew she argued this last year as well.

"Yes, but I never let you out alone after dark when we are in the city. I am sorry, but the answer is still no. You can still have fun here in The Community and if you would like, we can all go together next year when we have more time to plan it."

"But Mom." Rachel whines. Shelby rolls her eyes, there goes the whining again. What's with all the whining today?

"Rachel. Please." Shelby sternly pleads, "You asked for my permission and my answer is no."

"Fine." Rachel spat back at her mother, who raised her eyebrow warningly. _I never gets to do what I wants to do! It's always Rachel do this or Rachel do that. Rachel take care of the kids. Rachel go to do your homework. Rachel can't do the show. Rachel you can't go out tonight. Rachel you aren't allowed to hang out with those kids. No Rachel not today. Sorry Rachel, one of the kids need me. Rachel. Rachel. Rachel. I never get to do what I want! I never get your attention when I need it! I never…ugh!_ She then proceeds to takes her phone out of her pocket in order to send a text message.

**R: Operation 'Party of the Century' is now a go.** After a few moments of sulking in her chair as the rest of her family animatedly talk amongst themselves, her phone loudly dings indicating she got a text message, and she hurries to lower the volume.

"Rachel." Everett says, "Phone away." Their family has this stupid rule about no phones at the dinner table because supposedly, this day in age everyone is so focused on social media and electronic devices that they forget how to socialize with one another face to face.

"Yes sir." She responds, but only after she reads John's response which says:

**J: Ugh. Fine. ._. My house. After we set out with the kids. Bring the stuff.**

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><p><strong>Please Review<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**I know I am late, but Merry Christmas! Thank you for the follows and favorites. Even if you don't want to review, just favorite or follow because it lets me know that you're there. My Christmas gift to you! Enjoy!**

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><p>That evening everyone was entitled to meet at the Corcorans home before the children were sent off to trick-or-treat, the men hustled over into the den to watch the football game they recorded from Sunday night, and the women stayed in the family room to watch movies and endlessly talk about everything and anything.<p>

"Don't you all look precious?" Shelby gushes as she holds her camera and snaps yet another photo of the children posing, "Don't they look adorable honey? Absolutely adorable!" They all stood in the foyer, the children in front of an empty wall and wearing show faces for the camera.

"So adorable." Everett agrees in a monotone fashion, which does not go unnoticed by his wife who turned to glare at him. While Shelby was turned, Rachel frantically waves her hands in her father's direction and mouths "Help me." In response, he laughs while shakes his head and mouths "No."

It seemed like their pseudo-photography session was ceaseless. First it was a picture of just Charlotte, then just Maks, then just Genevieve, and then just Rachel alone (in order of who completely ready first). Then she took a picture of just the three youngest together while Rachel escaped for a moment. Then just Genny and Maks posing together. Then Charlotte and Rachel squeezing each other. Then three family photos. Then a photo of Rachel and Johnathan theatrically posing. Then a photo of the kids with Noah, when he, Aunt Raquel and Uncle Henry arrived. Then a photo of Aunt Raquel, Uncle Henry, and Noah. Then a photo of the dads. Then Shelby and her older sister. Then everyone together. But every time someone was just about leave, Shelby and Aunt Raquel "Just one more!"

"Mom I'm getting tired."

"I'm bored."

"Can we go now?"

"My cheeks hurt from smiling too much!"

"I have to pee!"

"Stop!"

"No. More. Pictures!"

The men were perched on the stairs, tired of waiting for their wives to be done fussing over the children, so they can slip off to watch the game. While the children shift about trying to get their mothers to relent their attempts to sneak in another photo.

However, their mothers simply thought they looked adorable. John dressed as the handsome Marius, Rachel as the peasant Eponine, Noah as soccer player, Maks as Spiderman, Genevieve as a ninja, and Charlotte as a fairy princess. Although after a few more minutes, the women could see that their husbands and children were just itching to leave as soon as possible.

"Alright." Shelby announces putting the lens cap back on the camera, "I suppose we have enough pictures."

With sighs of gratitude, all of the children disperse and begin to gather their things in order to leave. Mothers make last minute touch ups on their children's costumes and fathers wait a few more moments before seeing their children off with their pillow cases.

"Rach." Shelby calls out, as she is tying the back of Maks's Spiderman mask, "You are to stay in the community and not even attempt to leave for the city. You understand?" She reminds her for the thousandth time, causing Rachel to roll her eyes and tightly nod.

"Oye Vey." Rachel irately mumbles, she didn't need for her mother to announce their differences aloud for everyone to hear. _It's embarrassing. _

"Did you hear me?" Shelby narrows her eyes, knowing full well of what her daughter is capable of.

"Yes mom."

"So we will see you guys later?" John cuts in, trying to save them all from having to witness a quarrel between mother and daughter.

"In a sec." Shelby responds as she sees, Genevieve riding on Everett's shoulders purposefully messing with his straight honey brown hair, while Charlie walks alongside them as they return from the restroom.

The little girl runs into her mother's arms, almost knocking her down, and gives her a tight hug. The mother in return peppers her face with kisses, then settles her on her feet, before giving each of her children a parting kiss.

"Charlie, you stay close to your brother and sisters. No wondering off okay?" Everett gently reminds her, as he hugs Shelby from behind.

"Genevieve listen to your sister. I don't want to hear back that you were fighting with anyone." Shelby tells Genny.

"Mom. Can we go now?" Maks sighs, anxiously turning the doorknob, ready to bolt.

"Yes you can go." Without another word Maks bolts out the front door with the other children close behind. Shelby observes her children and notices Rachel's somber behavior, even though the teen was trying to hide it, she saw right through her façade.

Unexpectedly Rachel feels the back of her jacket being grasped and is pulled backwards until she came face to face with her mother. "Hey." Shelby gently says, cupping Rachel's cheeks and searching her daughter's brown eyes, but Rachel refuses to look into her mother's eyes. "Look at me." With hesitation Rachel looks up and locks eyes with her mother's calming green ones. "You and me." Shelby smiles, "Come on, say it."

"You and me." Rachel mumbles and Shelby giggles.

"I love you kid." Shelby pulls her daughter's face close to her and she kisses her forehead.

"Mooom." Rachel whines, she wanted to go already. With a smile, Shelby lets her go and Rachel trails behind the rest of the group. All the kids make their way out of the house and walk together down the driveway onto their newest adventure.

"Behave yourselves!" Aunt Raquel calls out from the doorway. _Sure Aunt Raquel…we will be perfect angels._

Once out the door and walking down the Corcorans' street and into the next street is when all of the children pause and begin to discuss a game plan. The sun was going down and the sky had become an artist's canvas. Bright colors blended together to make a dark rich orange with tints of pink and purple, creating a beautiful sunset before the darkness sets in. They all gather under a neighbor's eerily decorated oak tree and haunted mansion themed yard.

"Okay so you aren't going to be with us?" Noah asks, in order to figure out whether he needs to use plan A or his alternative plan.

"No we aren't going to be with you guys for the entire night," Rachel affirms, "You have your phone right?" Noah nods, taking out his phone and turning on the screen for her to see. "Where are you going to be?"

"We are just going to be around The Community and try to hit every single house." He lies, crossing his fingers behind his back.

"That's a lot of houses!" Genevieve says with wide eyes.

"That just means tons of candy." John tells her with a wink.

"I'm gonna get lots of candy! Starbursts, Kit Kats, Hershey's, Snickers, Skittles, maybe even money! And Almond Joys, Reese's, Reese's pieces, gum…" Genny continues to list different candies to John as he tries his best to seem interested and amused.

"Where are you going to be?" Maks curiously asks Rachel, he hadn't really thought about where exactly his sister would be, he only that benefitted from her not being there.

"We are just going to go with some friends and hang out. In The Community of course." Rachel expertly lies. _They were just kids. What would they know? _But Maks saw full well through her façade, but wasn't going to say anything about it. They weren't exactly going to be saints tonight either.

As they continue to discuss their whereabouts and plans, Charlotte stands off to the side and intently observes her oldest sister with genuine curiosity and a hint of confusion. She was simply listening to the older kids' banter before she began to realize something. Her emerald green eyes out from her mask as she blinks a couple times trying to figure something out. Something she had never noticed before in her five years of life that just now it begins to dawn on her.

Out of her corner of her eye, Rachel sees Charlotte standing about ten feet away from her. She has her Tinkerbell pillow case clutched close to her chest and stares at her without even looking away. At first she thought she was simply looking at her so that she could listen into what they were saying, but after a while that didn't seem to be the case. She felt like she was being studied, surveyed, scrutinized, and she felt her sister's eyes boring into her skin making her feel uncomfortable.

"Hey kid, what you looking at?" Ignoring her question, Charlotte moves her head to the side like a puppy might do when they are confused. "Come here." Rachel says holding out her arms for her and the little girl falls into them, is lifted in the air, and is settled on her sister's hips. "You okay?" Rachel whispers in her ear.

Just then Charlotte grabs Rachel's face, placing her hands on each cheek and gazes into her sister's brown eyes. Rachel's eyes dart side to side, okay this is starting to get creepy. "What's wrong kid?"

After a couple more seconds of observing her sister's irises, Charlie innocently asks, "Why are your eyes brown?"

At that Rachel's eyebrows knit in confusion as well, what did she mean "Why are [my] eyes brown?" Genetics? Biology? She didn't know. It just happens.

"I don't know." Rachel responds, but Charlotte continues to inspect her face, from her eyebrows, her prominent cheek bones and nose, down to her plump lips and places her small finger on her bottom lip. Rachel's eyes gaze down at her sister's finger and she grabs her wrist in order to take her hand away from her lip. "Why are you being weird?"

"I'm not." Charlie says, "It's just…"

"What?"

"You look different." That testament strikes Rachel quite odd, how does she look any different than she did yesterday?"

"What do you mean?" Charlie then places her small pale hand on her sister's slightly olive one and points at both hands together.

"You have browner skin than me." Charlie responds, pointing to Rachel's perfectly manicured hand, "And Daddy and Genny have super light brown eyes and Mommy, Maks, and me have green eyes, but you are the only one with black brown eyes." Charlie brushes her sister's blowed out brunette fringe upward and gazes further into her dark eyes."

That is when Rachel understood what her sister was asking. She did look different. Only slightly, but she did. Her mother, being of European Jewish decent, had light skin, brunette and green eyes. Her step-dad, being European Hispanic, also had very light skin, lighter than her mothers, honey brown hair and hazel eyes.

She was the only one with slightly darker Italian skin and dark brown eyes. She was the only one with plump-like lips and those were the only attributes she inherited from her biological father's Italian roots. But she didn't want to sit there and explain that to her five year old sister.

By now Noah, Maks, and Genevieve had become engrossed in a conversation between the three of them, but Johnathan stood a few feet away from them, discreetly listening in, not having anything else to do.

"Because family isn't what you look like and what I look like. Family doesn't always mean who your mommy and daddy are. Family is accepting who we are, being loyal to each other, and loving one another. Family is love and love makes a family." Rachel explains, rubbing her sister's back.

"What's loyal?" Charlie asks.

"Ummm… Loyal means always being there for somebody no matter what. No matter if they are mean, nice, funny, ugly, pretty, smart, dumb, or anything like that. You will always be their friend and they will always be yours." She explains in a way she hopes the kindergartener will understand.

"But mommy is your mommy still right?" Rachel slightly giggles at the girl's naivety.

"Yes mommy is still my mommy." She affirms.

"But daddy isn't your daddy?"

"No, daddy is my daddy." Rachel corrects her, regardless if Everett was her biological father or not, he is still her father.

"Okay." Charlie wraps her arms around her sister's neck and gives her a hug before wiggling out of her grasp and running towards the older kids.

"So we will see each other later?" Rachel asks the younger kids.

"Yeah." Noah confirms.

"We will call you guys when we have to meet up again okay?" John tells then, "Watch out for Shirley. Don't lose her."

"We won't." Genny says, anxiously bouncing on her toes. _Can they go get the candy now?_

"Be good!" Rachel calls out over her shoulder, as she heads down the street.

"We will!" Noah calls back and they all share conspiring glances. _Yes, they would be very good indeed._

~.~

As they walk down the street towards Johnathan's house, he notices Rachel's demeanor change. She was so pumped for this party and couldn't wait to arrive at Jesse's house, but now he detects a more somber demeanor. As if she had just made a complete 180.

"You okay?"

"I'll explain when we get to your house." Rachel says just above a whisper, luckily John was able to barely make out what she said. He simply nods in response and opts for waiting as they disappear into the night.

~.~

After making their way around the neighborhood trick-or-treating, they were finally walking up Noah's long driveway, across town from the Corcorans' home, making their way to the garage in the backyard.

The younger children had to return to the Corcorans' house to retrieve a red backpack and dummy from their green recycling bin located on the side of their house. The backpack that contained all of the extra supplies that was necessary for their harebrained scheme. Walking around the neighborhood with a dummy did turn some heads, but they explained that the dummy served a vital purpose to Genevieve's persona because it is a person whom she brutally assassinated with her swift ninja skills.

Soon after they had made it to the garage, where they tie their pillow cases filled with candy and other goodies and place them in a bike cart that is attached to one of the bikes.

"So what are we going to do?" Genevieve asks with her mask hanging by her neck, munching on a recently opened _Kit Kat_ bar.

"Patience young grasshopper." Noah says, attaching another bike cart to his second bike, "All answers will be revealed with time."

"Shut up." Genny laughs. Maks picks up his red backpack, Noah's grey duffle bag, and the dummy and places them into the smaller cart on the smaller black bike. He makes sure that the metal hinge that connects the crate-like cart was attached tightly to the bike so their supplies would be safe. They would be taking two bikes their 'clubhouse' in small area that was near the wood that enclosed the neighborhood and the crates served to hold all of their supplies and belongings.

"Alright! Are we ready?" Noah asks Maks, gently lifting Charlie and placing her in the large crate attached to his blue bike, and putting the tied pillowcases all around her. She was too busy eating a _Three Musketeers_ candy bar to protest.

"I think we are good." Maks responds through his mask, getting on the blue bike, "Genny, get on the bike pegs and hold onto me as we ride to our next destination." To Noah and Maks this would be a huge accomplishment if they can actually pull this off. They were Agent Maks and Agent Noah, the two best spies in the entire world ready to execute their next Top Secret mission.

As she was told, Genny throws the _Kit Kat_ wrapper into the crate and gets on the pegs before both parties ride off into the night as fast as they can.

~.~

The pitch-blackness of the night had set in by the time Rachel and Johnathan had reached the Gilmore residence. It was a large suburban type home, similar to the Corcorans', except it was slightly smaller because of the fact that they were only a family of three. Inside Rachel was in the bathroom using a moist towelette to take off her stage make-up.

Before they proceeded to Johnathan's house, they also went back to Rachel's to retrieve a gym bag full of things she would need, which was hidden behind the house's hedges. Now they were in the bathroom, washing and wiping their faces in order to change into their real costumes. As Johnathan wipes the eyeliner that had been used on his face, he again realizes that Rachel is being unusually quiet.

"Are you okay?" He asks again, rubbing at the smeared make-up.

"Not really." Rachel uses a towel to wipe her face and pumps some face moisturizer onto her hand and begins to moisturize her face.

"Charlie was just asking."

"I know she was asking and she has a right to know. I just…another set of identical dark brown eyes are walking around God knows where and doing God knows what. An Italian man with MY dark brown eyes is probably out there drunk with two sluts on each arm, in a bar, drinking his life away and not giving a single crap about the kid he left behind. Well…it's not like he wanted me anyway." She explains dabbing concealer on her dark spots and powdering her face with a slight tan color.

"Why is he relevant to you anyway?" He asks. "Like, I know I met you about two years ago, but we have never got around to what happened in your past. Not that anything bad happened in particular, but…I hope I am not prying, but…what happened to your bio dad?" John nervously asks, looking through the mirror at her to see her reaction.

"You…" Rachel pauses, applying eyeliner on her eyes in order to make wings, "You aren't prying. There just isn't much to say."

"You don't have to tell me." John interjects, using gel to spike his hair upward "I'm sorry I even brought it up."

"No. no. It's okay." Rachel reassures, "My mom was dating a guy named…Christopher Sanders? I think his name was. My mom met him as a Junior Theatre major at NYU, he was a Senior Music major at the time. His name was Christopher Sanders, but he went by his self-appointed "rock-n-roll" name "Chris Wolff"."

She scoffs, "Two F's okay. It has to be two or else it won't be edgy enough," she mocks as she applies mascara, "He was the guitarist in a local band that played at bars around the city and he thought he was a total pro. A wannabe rock star with a goody-two shoes slash semi-edgy girl on his arm. He thought he was the king of the world with his tight jeans, black spiked hair, and black _Doc Martens_. Even though he was really just another Italian boy from Little Italy, New York."

"So why did your mom date him?" John asks, scrunching his nose.

"She said she was in the whole bad-boy stage, but behind the whole façade, he supposedly was just a genuine music geek with real passions and aspirations. She says he was intelligent, very literate, and read books more than Charles Dickens himself in a library filled with thousands of literature pieces." Rachel replies. Pausing for a long time as she puts on a dark red lipstick, focusing on getting her lip line correct and prominent.

"So how did you come about?" John tentatively asks, reminding her of their conversation

"Oh! Oh yeah." Rachel sheepishly grins as she adds quick curls in her hair with the already hot curling iron, "Sorry I forgot…Well they had been dating a year and were pretty exclusive by then. My mom was a senior, he had graduated and was working in a music store, and they had moved into a studio apartment with a couple of friends.

In February of that year my mom consistently began to feel nauseated every day for about a week before she realized she was pregnant. She says she was afraid and had no idea how to tell Chris because they both had dreams and ambitions to live up to. Sure enough when she did tell him, he bailed. Said he wasn't ready to be a dad and she could do it on her own if she "wanted to keep it." So she moved in with my Aunt Raquel, who was living in the city at the time, graduated NYU with Honors. Whoop! Whoop! I was born come November and yeah." She secures silver dangly earrings in her ears.

"So if you never met him then why does he matter?" He questions from behind the door of the toilet room, that separates the sinks and shower from the toilet, where he was changing.

"Because he is still my dad. My father. I am half of him whether I like it or not. He is an Italian, rock star wannabe, drunk. And sometimes…sometimes I'm afraid I might turn into him someday." She quietly explains, holding her gym bag, waiting for John to come out so she can change.

"That's stupid." Johnathan immerses from the toilet room, dressed in a rocker costume. Complete with old ripped jeans and a black leather belt, an _Aerosmith_ T-shirt with the sleeves cut off and a leather jacket, tons of bracelets, especially leather ones with metal spikes, worn black boots, and his hair spiked.

"Nice costume." She approves as they switch places and she takes her place behind the door.

"Thanks," He smiles, "But back to you turning into him…that's stupid because your mom and dad will never let that happen."

"But what if…ugh…there are attitudes I have, mannerisms, or even some of my interests are inherited by him. Like the way I love classic rock music or maybe the way I say things or act." She says, struggling to get her costume on.

"First of all, maybe some of that can be true, but you don't know him to know for sure. Secondly, your dad also loves classic rock music and electric dance music and is a musical theatre geek. Which I think is really cool by the way.

Lastly, your parents are great parents, they will always be there to love you and keep you in line if you start to drift." Rachel scoffs as she emerges from behind the door wearing an 80's cat suit, a full body leather suit with a cat tail, leather boots, and cat ears on her head.

"Isn't that Maureen's Halloween costume from when your mom was in that one production of _RENT_?" Johnathan smirks, knowing that she most likely did not get permission to wear that at all.

"Yeah." She sheepishly grins, "I…borrowed it from her old memory box." Rachel stands by the bathroom counter and begins to apply one fresh coat of red nail polish onto her already painted nails, in order to ensure minimum chipping.

"Borrowed my ass." Johnathan scoffs, amused, "She is going to kill you with her bare hands."

"Who cares?" She rolls her eyes.

"What ever happened to 'I hate being objectified'?" He laughs.

"Shut up." She nudges his ribs.

"You're going to get busted." Rachel smiles, then slightly frowns.

"See back to what I was saying before, I can easily become a lazy hopeless drunk just like him."

"Shut up, you won't become that. You're just being cynical."

"Oh yeah?" Rachel raises a challenging eyebrow, "What are we doing right now?"

"Like you said before, it's just one party. Chill. You aren't going to turn into Chris."

"Whatever happened to "_We can't do this? It isn't right?_"" She smirks.

"Well, I think you're right. We work hard. We should live a little."

"I guess." She shrugs.

"What is with your bipolarness today?"

"Bipolarness isn't a word."

"You know what I mean."

"I don't know. I'm sorry, I know I'm being weird. I'm just frustrated and need a break." At this point she didn't care about anything anymore. She was going to have the best night of her life if it was the last thing she did. Be reckless, carefree, spirited, and most definitely NOT responsible for three little munchkins. She felt like Elsa when the character runs away from Arendelle and builds her ice castle. She could care less about being 'the good girl [she] always [has] to be' and is finally free. This party was going to be epic, this night was hers and there was no stopping them.

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><p><strong>What do we think of Rachel's Biological dad? How do you think she feels? Why do you think her emotions are all over the place? Tune-in. :) Leave me your thoughts!<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**Warning! Revolting details inside. I have never actually drank or partied before, these are all testaments of parties my friends have been to.**

**And there are several references to my favorite shows and books, so if you find something that sounds like it is from somewhere else. Just know I am disclaiming it now.**

**Thank you for the follows, reviews, and favorites! Enjoy!**

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><p>New Chrysler is a large neighborhood made up of about 300 residential homes, some smaller than others, and some areas were quieter than others. However, this house is nothing like the other houses. It was located on Golden Road where all the wealthier people live. Jesse St. James' family do not believe in the same values as Rachel's family, they believe that if one were to make a large amount of money, then it was their right to splurge on anything they desire. Mr. St. James is one of the head stock brokers on Wall Street and their house could easily be compared to a mansion of some sort. It is always well groomed, spotless, and the envy of every other home in the neighborhood, just not tonight.<p>

Tonight Mr. and Mrs. St. James were away on business at some dinner function in the city and would be gone all night long and well into tomorrow. Therefore leaving the twins, Jesse and Kayla, home alone and when the St. James weren't home it simply meant one thing. _Par-ty_. All of the teenagers in the neighborhood deemed worthy were to attend their first Halloween bash.

Rachel and Johnathan stand on the side walk in front of the St. James mansion with their jaws slightly dropped. It was only 9:03pm and the party was already in full swing. The house was enormous and Jesse and Kayla went all out on the decorations. The house looked as if it had been professionally decorated to look like an eerie haunted mansion. Spider webs hanging from every nook and cranny one could find, graves on the lawn with ghouls occasionally popping out, the house even looked hundreds of years old.

The only thing that seemed to ruin the perfectly designed creepy atmosphere was the deafening EDM music playing from the backyard. Hundreds of kids populated the front yard, talking loudly on the porch, drunkenly dancing, people screaming for no apparent reason, others hanging from the pillars, even some dancing on the roof. Red plastic _Solo_ cups were placed in everyone's hand and if not they were scattered on the floor. Rachel even saw a red lace bra abandoned on the lawn. The teens were in various costumes from being dressed up at _Scooby-Doo_ and the gang to being very promiscuous _Playboy_ bunnies.

As they made their way inside, it did not get any better. There was still an abundance of people screaming, talking, and it seemed to get slightly worse. First off, there was a group of football players throwing a football about in the foyer, to one another on the first floor, then to another group of boys on the second floor, who thought it was a great idea to play football indoors.

There was a boy in a _Zorro_ costume hanging from the upstairs banister, while what seemed to be his friends were cheering him on. A boy, who was only wearing a pair of boxer shorts, pushed past them, with his hands straight up in the air, letting out a victorious shout. Couples EVERYWHERE were in various stages of kissing, some even looked like the male was trying to eat the females face, and others almost seemed to be a few moments away from having public sex. A group of boys and girls were playing beer pong atop the family's baby grand piano. What appeared to have previously been a porcelain vase was now in shatters on the wooden floor.

In the living room, more couples were engaging in the popular practice of sucking face, while people were doing body shots on the rug, and others were dancing on the coffee table. One boy was laying on the couch calmly trying to stop the bleeding from his nose and a group of girls were huddled around another girl who seemed to be crying. A boy and a girl were animatedly sword fighting with two brooms and wearing pots on their head as a form of protective gear.

In the kitchen, people were eating all types of food from pizza, Cheetos, cake, candy, soda, nachos, chips and dip, brownies that smelled like weed, Ding Dongs, Twinkies, Ho-Hos, Lucky Charms, McDonald's hamburgers and fries, margaritas, bacon wrapped hotdog wieners, and chocolate. There were a bunch of pills scattered about the kitchen counter and cups with various amounts of drinks in them. A group of teenagers were by the kitchen table, where the several kegs of beer were located and a boy was aggressively sucking on the end of a drinking funnel, where another boy was pouring beer straight from the keg into the funnel.

They are also there in time to see girl come falling down the entire flight of stairs and others cheering for her, some boys out right screaming more than cheering. As another group were announcing that they were going to do the _Strongman_ shot, curious Rachel and Johnathan hang back in order to see what the specific shot was. Turns out the _Strongman_ shot was simply tequila, but a group people begin to snort salt, take the shot and then squeeze a lime into their eye, then proceed to scream about the pain. Rachel grimaces at the thought of their pain as Johnathan shakes his head at their stupidity.

Outside is where the party really was. The DJ on a pseudo stage playing all types of mixes of songs as strobe lights lit up the enormous backyard. More people talking and drinking everywhere as they wore glow-in-the-dark bracelets and necklaces, even drinking glow-in-the-dark drinks. Others dance on the lawn, some dancing normally, while others grind on one another. There was also a variety of grinding. The two people might as well be having sex, which was repulsing to watch. People were swimming in the pool that was lit up with several different colors, who were in various forms of dress…and undress. Jumping into the pool, diving into the pool, splashing in the pool, etc.

To their left a boy was shouting above the music as he climbs the family's maple tree and only when he reaches the first tree branch is when Rachel realizes what he was saying. He kept screaming "I AM A GIRAFFE" over and over, then sat in his undershirt and boxers on the first branch, and proceeded to eat the autumn brown maple leaves.

"This party is nuts!" Rachel screams above the music, scratching behind her ear.

"I know!" Johnathan says, awkwardly sticking his hands in his pockets, "What do we do?" Rachel shrugs.

Suddenly they hear someone call Rachel's name. They spin around in time to see Jesse, wearing a vintage suit, coming towards them with his arms stretched to the sides.

"Hey!" He greets with a toothy grin, "Are you guys enjoying the party?"

"We just got here." Rachel says.

"What?!"

"We just got here." She says again.

"WHAT?" Jesse asks, "I can't hear you the music is too loud!"

"WE JUST GOT HERE!" Rachel yells, awkwardly using her right hand to hold her left elbow.

Jesse simply nods his head and gestures for them to follow him inside. Passing the grinders and giraffe prodigy, the pill poppers and the beer chuggers, the sword fighters and the beer pong players, the football players and the dare devils, they follow him down a narrow hallway and into Mr. St. James' den.

In the den there were only two other boys talking on long couch and lounge chair with drinks in their hands. A liquor cart was placed along the wall, under a bookshelf built into the wall. There were paintings along the walls and a large expensive looking wooden desk by the window. This may be the only calm room in the entire house.

"Hey guys, this is Rachel and John." Jesse announces to the boys and the occupants nod in recognition, then return to their previous discussions. Jesse sits down in a vacant lounge chair, while Rachel and Johnathan take their places on one end of the couch.

"Cool party huh." Jesse asks and the other two nod, although they did feel quite uncomfortable. Rachel didn't know what she was expecting, but she didn't expect this much madness. "Oh sorry, I'm such a bad host. Did you guys have anything to drink yet?" John makes no move to respond, as he is observing everything in the room, as Rachel tentatively shakes her head.

"Have you two ever had any alcohol before?" He asks nonchalantly, making his way towards the liquor cart and picks up a bottle of rum, adding some to his own cup.

"No." Rachel quietly responds, picking at her nails. _So much for the extra coat to prevent chipping._

"I'll just have a Coke." John states, avoiding the question. Leaning back into the couch, he listens as the other two boys discuss their newly assigned book _The Great Gatsby_. The only good part about going to school at _Lincoln Prep_ is sometimes the discussions are more sophisticated than which girl John Doe just banged.

"Coke with a shot of vodka it is." Jesse says, scouring the cart for the bottle of vodka.

"No." John says distractedly, "Just a can of Coke."

"You can't just have soda John." Rachel whispers in his direction, "We came here to have fun."

"I can still have fun and only drink a Coke." John responds, but Rachel gives him an appalled look.

"After everything we did in order to ensure our attendance at this party, all you want to do is drink a normal soda we could have just drank at your house?!" John rolls his eyes and shrugs with annoyance.

"Fine. What drinks do you have to start off with?" John asks Jesse.

"You guys can have _Straw-ber-itas_." They nod in affirmation, pretending that they knew exactly what a _Straw-ber-ita was_. Even though they didn't.

"Make sure you sip it, don't chug it or else you will for sure have a hangover." Jesse says as he hands each of them a beer. Rachel snaps her can open and takes a small sip of her drink. She takes a moment to contemplate whether or not she likes the taste. She shrugs and takes another sip, it tastes like a strawberry flavored energy drink with a slight bitter taste, which kind of burns. Settling back in the chair, Jesse takes a sip of his drink. "This is only my second drink of the night. Cheers!" They all clink their drinks and settle into momentary silence before Jesse speaks up.

"Rachel," Jesse begins, "May I say that you look extremely hot tonight. Like really hot."

"Thanks." Rachel blushes and John rolls his eyes, "It's a costume I borrowed from the back of my mom's closet. It was my mom's when she played Maureen in _RENT_."

"Your mom's?!" Jesse's eyes widen.

"Your mom's?" Jesse's friend, Connor, echoes. She now had the entire room's full attention and now regrets bringing up her mom at all. She couldn't have just stopped at "Thanks"?

"Y-yeah."

"I mean I always knew your mom was hot." Will slurs after taking a swig of his tequila, "Like MILF hot, but damn! She must look sexy in that costume." Rachel nervously laughs, she felt a little uncomfortable hearing him refer to her mom in such context. Well not a little uncomfortable, extremely uncomfortable.

"But you obviously look hotter." Jesse adds. "I mean, you're younger and your body is just…"

"Okay!" John interjects, feeling a little awkward as well. "Can we talk about something else?"

"Who are you supposed to be?" Rachel asks Jesse, taking another sip of the beer, starting to get used to the taste.

"Isn't it obvious?" It was so quiet one could hear crickets chirping. "I'm Mr. Gatsby himself."

"Oh! Nice!" Connor praises, "I'm the Terminator."

"I'm…a…track…star." Will is barely able to get out in his drunken state, smoothing out the pants of his blue track suit.

"I'm the guitarist from _Aerosmith_." Johnathan crushes his empty can with his fist and places the remains of it on the coffee table.

"_Aerosmith_?" Connor questions.

"It's a band." Rachel explains.

"Interesting." Jesse dryly says, throwing back his head as he drinks the last of his beverage. Then Will enthusiastically goes into a detailed story about this girl named Tracy who he was able to get in the sack a couple weeks ago with his self-proclaimed charms and good-looks. Making Johnathan take back his earlier testament about these kids being able to have discussions with substance.

Halfway into the story, Will begins to gag repeatedly until he makes this weird choking sound and begins to vomit a foamy substance into his cupped hands, even though most of it was spilling onto his pants.

In disgust, everyone jumps out of their seats and backs away from him. When he is done, the whole room is quiet and the boy is left on the couch with vomit in his hands. He then quietly looks around to each disgusted face, shrugs, and slurps the liquid back into his mouth and drinks it.

"THAT IS REVOLTING!" Rachel shrieks, covering her eyes, and willing herself not to gag.

"Gross!" John says simultaneously. "What is wrong with you dude?"

"Get it together Will!" Jesse scolds, crossing his arms. Just then Will wipes his hands on his track pants and looks at them with a smirk on his face.

"You didn't think I came unprepared did you?!" Will says grabbing the collar of his track jacket. "I am always prepared."

Suddenly he swiftly rips off his track jacket and track pants, the sounds of the unsnapping buttons filled the air like a machine gun. He discards the jacket and pants only to reveal an identical pair underneath.

"This kid is craaaazzzyyy." John whispers into Rachel's ear.

"A regular nut job if you ask me." She responds with a scrunched nose.

"I hope the nice men in the white suits take him away real soon."

"Good one."

With that, Will throws his shoulders back and confidently exits the room as if nothing had happened, with Connor hot on his heels to make sure he doesn't do anything that could harm him or others.

"Sorry about that." Jesse says, turning back to them. "He gets a little…out of it…when he is drunk."

"If by 'out of it', you mean psychotic then I believe you." John says, still feeling his dinner trying to make a reappearance in his throat.

"Yeah…" Jesse trails off. Rachel and John stay quiet, unsure of what to do next. Should they leave? Should they stay? What?

"Do you want to dance?" Jesse asks, out of the blue.

"Umm…sure?" Rachel responds.

~.~

Far off on the other side of The Community, where it was mainly desolate and near the wood was a small wooden shed filled with gardening supplies and equipment where The Community's gardeners stored their things. Said wooden shed had become their 'clubhouse' that summer when Noah found a loose board behind some tall shrubs. He had somehow coaxed Charlie into slipping through the loose board and unlocking the shed's door, and that has been their routine ever since.

Inside the shed were several shelves with special gardening scissors, bottles, and sprays. Two lawn mowers were parked against one wall, leaf blowers against another and several hoes, rakes, weed whackers, and other equipment lined the walls. In the center of the shed was a wooden table where five empty pots and two watering cans were left. But about a half hour ago, the children had placed the pots on the ground along with the watering cans, and the table had become a surgical table of sorts. A lantern, which Noah had found in the shed, was placed in the center and their dummy laid flat on the surface of the table as they worked on him.

"Scissors." Noah says, holding out his hand for said item. Maks pulls his mask down so it hangs by his neck, digs into Noah's duffle bag and pulls out the scissors.

"Scissors." Maks places the scissors in Noah's hand and watches as he cuts up Maks's old t-shirt and pants.

"Paint." Noah says.

Genevieve digs through Maks's things and places the bottle of paint in Noah's hand. "Paint." They repeat this process multiple times until they have all of the items on the table as they work on their task at hand.

Meanwhile, Charlie was sat in the corner and told to stay out of the way while the older kids worked. She was not very appreciative of this, but stayed out of the way nonetheless, listening to the dance music that could be heard in the distance. But after some time she slowly became bored with simply sitting around, so she got to her feet and stalked over to her older siblings and cousin. "Let me help. Let me help. I want to help."

"No Charlotte, you're too little." Genevieve tells her and Charlie raises her eyebrows at the name 'Charlotte'. _Who does Genny think she is telling her what to do?_

"Let me help please." She tugs at Noah's jersey and pouts. She was five now, doesn't that mean treating her like a big kid is completely warranted?

"In a second Charlie." Noah says, swatting her away. "You can help once we are done." Charlie crosses her arms and lets out a "Humph."

After a few agonizing long moments, Noah finally declares that he is done. With eagerness, Charlie skidders over to the table and stands on her tip-toes in order to see over the table. Maks and Genny nod in approvingly when they see their older cousin's masterpiece. It was completely perfect!

On the table was the dummy, which was used for Uncle Henry's CPR class a few years back, completely mutilated. They had used eye shadows to paint on what looked like bruises all over its face. They used a mixture red paint and shower gel to make it look like the dummy was bleeding profusely from its nose and mouth. The dummy wore Maks's old t-shirt and jeans that had been torn up and made look like the dummy had survived some sort of attack.

"Perfect." Noah says, lifting the dummy and placing it carefully in Maks's arms. "Don't touch the blood okay?" Maks nods and watches as Noah picks up his duffle bag, that still contained the remaining supplies, takes out four walkie-talkies and begins to distribute them among the kids.

"We are each going to have a walkie-talkie on us in order to communicate from our posts during the mission. Okay?"

"Mhmm."

"Yup!"

"Yes sir!"

"Now let's get going." They leave their supplies, bikes, and candy by the shed and set out for phase two. They walk for about a quarter of a mile down the desolate sidewalk with Maks's pillow case and dummy in hand, making sure they aren't seen through the neighbors' back windows across the street, until they reach the park.

"French the llama! This is going to be awesome!" Maks exclaims.

"French the llama?" Charlie asks, adjusting her masquerade mask, as the other two look at him incredulously.

"It's another way of saying 'oh my god', I'm hoping it will catch on." Maks states nonchalantly.

"Okay?"

"It will never catch on."

"You're one odd specimen of a male." Genny tells him.

It was Halloween night which meant the park always completely barren, all of the children were trick-or-treating down neighborhood streets, teens having parties and get-togethers, and parents waiting for their children to come home. Which is why the park was the most perfect location for them to execute their plan. Noah found a tree by the entrance of the park, on the grassy field, and climbs it with a rope hanging around his shoulder. The younger children simply stand, observing his actions, as the twelve year old ties the rope around one of the higher branches and begins to measure the gap between the branches. When he is satisfied with the knots he had made on both ends, he climbs down the tree and stands with his hands on his hips.

"Hmm…" Noah looks from Maks, to Genevieve, to Charlie, and back to Maks. "Genny, you see that tree over there?" He points to a maple tree parallel to the one he had just climbed. Genny nods. "I need you to be the look out, climb that tree as high as you can so you can see out to the street, but can't be seen from it. Take these binoculars. I will be in the jungle gym, behind the pirate's steering wheel. When I see Maks coming with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumbers, I'll use my walkie-talkie and tell you when to give Charlie the signal."

"I'm a ninja." She proudly says, pulling her mask into place.

"Yeah you are!" Noah shouts. Genevieve runs off in the direction of the maple tree and begins to climb it, with the walkie-talkie clipped to her pants. Seeing her swiftly climb the tree in her full on ninja costume, made her actually look like a ninja. They wait for a moment until they hear Genny's distorted voice through Noah's walkie-talkie.

"I got to the top. Over." Her voice echoes through the plastic device.

"Good. Over." Noah responds.

"There is no one around, only a couple people on the other street. Over." She says referring to people walking in front of the houses, while the park faces the back of the houses.

"Roger that." Noah says, then looks down at Charlie with a slight frown. "Aw man." He sighs, brushing his hand through his short brunette hair, "Can Charlie climb a tree?" He asks Maks, who takes a moment to think about it. He hesitantly nods and waves his hand in a 'kind-of' motion.

"I can!" Charlie argues, walking over to the tree, and looking up to measure the distance from the ground to the rope tied to the branch. While Maks looks around cautiously making sure that no one was around to spot them.

"Are you sure?" Noah authoritatively asks and Charlie nods again. "Okay, but I'll help you." Noah gives Charlie a boost so she can grasp the first branch and pull herself up, stepping between the curves of the branches. Noah follows, guiding her feet on her way up, until they reach a very high branch where the rope is located. He directs Charlie to sit saddle-back-style on the large branch and wait for a few moments, as he adjusts himself behind her and he throws the rope down. "Maks! Tie the dummy to the rope. Over." He says through the walk-talkie.

"Roger." Maks's voice comes through the device. They feel the rope being tugged at until it finally stops.

"Dummy tied to rope. Over." Maks tells them, Noah pulls the yards of rope up until the dummy comes into view, tied by its neck, and he leans the dummy on its stomach on the branch.

"Scoot back, so your back is against the tree and wait for my signal." Noah clips Charlie's walkie-talkie to the collar of her dress. "Don't try to answer me and DON'T try to get down. Genny will say "Charlie. Now." And you do what I told you to do. Got it?" Noah gently instructs and Charlie nods. She smiles with pride, finally being included with the big kids. Noah then climbs down the tree and jumps down to meet Maks.

"Okay Maks, you're the bait." Noah takes him by the shoulders, "You have to lure the guys down here. Like I said, I will be by the pirate's steering wheel and the girls will be in the trees."

"French the llama! This is going to be great!" Maks beams.

"Stop trying to make fetch happen!" Noah sarcastically tells him. "It's never going to happen." Maks rolls his eyes with an amused grin. He clips his walkie-talkie to his pants, pulls his mask into place, and takes off towards the streets.

9:52. Maks strolls down Lake Street, with pillow case in hand in search of Cornelius and his gang knowing full well that they always hit Lake Street last on Halloween night. Lake Street and Golden Road was where all the most wealthy and egotistic families lived with their massive mansions. Also the houses that distributed the best candy. I mean come on! KING-SIZED CANDY BARS! Therefore Maks does take advantage of the situation and stops by some of the houses in order to collect some candy for himself.

On his way to the next house, he spots Shredder, or Cornelius, whatever floats your boat, in the distance with Blaze and Scooter. They were on the other side of the street, dressed as the TMNT, holding pillow cases of candy that were ripping at the seams because of the weight of the excess amount of goodies, and walking to their next house as well. Maks takes cover behind a bush and pulls out his walkie-talkie.

"Spotted Shredded Corn on Lake Street. Over."

"Alright, bring him here. Over." Noah voice comes through.

"Okay, but I will be turning off my device, don't try to contact me. Just be on the lookout. Over." Maks looks over his shoulder in order to make sure he doesn't lose sight of Shredder.

"Roger." Noah responds.

Maks nods not registering that Noah can't see him, turns off the device and places it in his pillow case, and takes his mask off before walking towards his tormentors. He looks both ways before crossing the street and his heart starts to pick up. He hesitantly walks closer and closer to the group of 11 year olds, gripping his pillowcase so tight that he thought he might actually puncture his skin with his nails. He nervously continues towards them acting as if he was going to walk past them, until he makes eye contact with Cornelius and the older boy evilly smirks. "Hey Bieber!"

* * *

><p><strong>What do you think is going to happen next? Is Maks going to get creamed? What do you think of the party? Let me know :)<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**Here goes! Thank you for the reviews, follows, and all that jazz! Keep them coming please. I'd like to know your thoughts.**

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><p>Maks hunches his shoulders has if he were afraid, but deep down he knew he was the one with the upper hand. He makes it seem like he is hurriedly trying to walk past them, when Blaze grabs him by the back of his costume and pulls him backwards. Blaze and Scooter take him by the arms and drag him into the grassy alley between the two houses. They slam him against the wall, while Shredder self-righteously stands front of him and smirks again with his arms crossed.<p>

"Well well well…if it isn't Mr. Bieber." Shredder ruffles Maks's honey brown mop with force, knowingly causing Maks slight pain. "Where is Noah, huh?"

"I don't know." Maks quietly says, hanging his head as if he was defeated. Shredder looks around to see if anyone was to walk by.

"Doesn't look like your personal bodyguard is here to protect you, now is he?" Shredder taunts and Maks rolls his eyes behind his short curtain of hair. _If only he could give him a good punch in the nose right now. But he couldn't, he needed to act. Those years of acting lessons weren't about going to go to waste right now._

"Answer me when I'm talking to you!" A loud crack echoes when Shredder gives Maks a good slap in the face, making the boy slam into the brick wall once more. Maks groans as he holds his cheek and narrows his green eyes at the older boy.

"No." Maks spat back.

"No, what?" Shredder booms before thumping the boy's head backward and the other two boys laugh.

Remembering that he is supposed to say in character, Maks helplessly leans against the brick wall, "No sir." He 'whimpers'.

"Oh." Shredder holds his hands to his chest. "Are you going to cry? Look guys, Bieber is going to cry."

"Don't be a wuss Biebs." Blaze adds.

"Are you going to cry to your Mama?" Scooter taunts.

Maks sniffs and wipes his nose, "No."

"What do you think guys? Should we teach Bieber a lesson for being a wuss and not fighting his own battles?" Shredder asks, slapping his right fist into his left palm.

"Yeah."

"Do it."

When Maks felt like they were close enough to him, as rehearsed, he drops his pillowcase on the ground, slips his way through the boys and runs down the street. He looks behind him to make sure they were in pursuit and just as predicted, they were gaining on him. Well Blaze and Scooter were, Shredder, because he was so heavy set, he was falling behind.

With a laugh, Maks runs faster down the street and turns the corner, crosses the street, and makes sure to run past the jungle gym. The two more agile boys kept running as fast as they can, but Shredder kept wheezing and breathing heavily about ten feet behind them.

"Get him!"

"Don't let him get away!"

"For the love of god Shredder! Move those thunder thighs and let your damn man tittis jiggle!" Blaze yells over his shoulder.

Shredder lets out a frustrated grunt and wheezes as he runs faster.

Within about thirty seconds, Maks saw their brilliant chain reaction take its course. Noah's arm shoots up from behind the pirate's wheel pointing in the maple trees direction and within moments, the dummy falls out of the tree and hangs from the noose. Putting his acting skills to good use, Maks freezes in place and points towards the tree.

"L-l-look!" Maks stutters. The boys' initial reaction is to ignore him, but Scooter takes a second glance in the direction Maks is pointing and gasps in fear. He slaps each of his friends' arms and points towards the maple trees.

In the darkness of the night it was quite difficult to see in the distance, especially in the park where the only lights illumining the area were the streetlights located about 30 feet away from them. The atmosphere was dark. The only thing that could be heard was the wind whistling by, almost like it was dancing around mockingly. The full moon shined bright, but dark clouds began to cover it and overpower the light.

The boys shiver in horror as they finally see a silhouette of what looked like a man that had been lynched in the maple tree. The boys' minds race with questions as to who the man was, what happened to him, and why he was hanged in their little park. They quake and tremble with fear.

"What is that?" Scooter says.

"Who is that?"

"Guys…there is a dead guy in the tree." Shredder says with his jaw on the floor.

"N-no duh Ch-cheese brain." Scooter stammers.

"W-what if a g-ghost got him?" Maks asks, pretending to be petrified. "I-I mean y-you know…evil spirits always c-come out to play on H-Halloween. Maybe he was on their hit list. M-maybe they are here Right. Now." Everyone remained silent for a few moments before the older boys walk backwards towards the street and Shredder yells "Oh My God!" Beginning to feel paranoid that the paranormal were present in the atmosphere. "I felt something brush against my leg!"

"This isn't cool man." Blaze tells Shredder, quickening his pace.

"Yeah, let's get out of here!" Scooter says, running away with his friends behind him. The boys take off as far away from the park as possible. Maks watches them from the park lawn, still pretending that he was frozen with fear. In the process of running away, Shredder trips and falls flat on the asphalt and Scooter and Blaze have to help him up before they speed away, screaming for their lives.

"PERFECT!" Noah pops up from behind the jungle gym and races towards his younger cousin, tackling him to the ground. "We did it!"

"Yeah we did!" Maks playfully punches Noah, before pushing him off him and getting to his feet.

"Great job guys!" Noah says into his walkie-talkie, and then remembers, "Oh! Over."

"Yay!" Genevieve's voice comes through.

"We did it?" Charlie asks after.

"Yup!" Maks says into Noah's walkie-talkie.

"Huzzah!" Charlie says, imitating their father's pseudonym for "Yay!"

"Hey, where did you leave my walkie-talkie?" Noah asks Maks.

Maks's eyes widen and looks around for the device, but realization soon hits him and he responds, "Oh yeah. I left my pillow case in the alley where they tried to beat me up. The walkie-talkie and my mask were in there."

"It's okay we can get it later." Noah shrugs, placing his arm around Maks's shoulders. "I was thinking…"

"Can I get down now?" Charlie's voice comes through the device, knowing that they would need to get the rope untied from the tree.

"Not yet." Noah smirks with a glint of mischief in his eyes. "How about we leave it in the tree and try to prank people who walk by and watch for their reactions?" He tells Maks and the girls through the hand held device.

"That would be totally hilarious." Maks laughs.

"Totally." Genevieve says.

"Let's do it."

~.~

Meanwhile, the party was still going strong with teenagers everywhere having the time of their lives. After the disgusting incident with Will and his track suit, the little group retreated to the dance floor in order to have a little fun. Jesse and Rachel seemed to only want to be with one another and Johnathan tried to dance with other girls but they all wanted to do was grind and were into dirty dancing, which isn't how he rolled. He just wanted to dance and have a little fun with some friends, but that didn't seem to be the case.

Luckily after about thirty minutes on the dance floor, he and the annoying love birds migrated into the kitchen. The people who populated the kitchen were still doing about the same thing as before, but now the group doing body shots had moved into the kitchen. Johnathan and Rachel took their places on stools by the breakfast bar as Jesse squeezed by several other people, taking out small shot glasses, normal glasses, cranberry juice, lemon and salt from various areas of the room. Once all the supplies were on the counter before him, he pours the contents of the bottle of vodka into three shot glasses. He distributes the lemons and raises his glass in the air.

"This is just a shot okay. We are only going to have one shot because we don't want to get totally far gone." Jesse explains. "Now all you have to do lick the salt and then down it in one shot. Hence its name. Then we chase it with some lemon. It will burn for a bit, but then you will be good." Rachel and Johnathan stare at the glasses in front of them. Drinking a Straw-ber-ita is one thing, now taking a shot of straight liquor was a whole other ball game. Rachel definitely knew that she was going to have to pick up the kids soon, but what was so bad about trying it? It was just one shot.

They intently watch as Jesse takes the salt shaker, licks some salt out of his hand, downs a shot and then calmly sucks on his slice of lemon. He had done this before.

"I don't know Jesse." Rachel says, picking up the shot glass in her hand and inspecting it.

"Aww come on," Jesse pants. "I thought you wanted to have some fun."

"Yeah fun. Not further damage our vocal chords." Johnathan says, placing his chin in his hands.

"Come on, lighten up. It's just one shot. I said before we would only be drinking one freaking shot?" Jesse rudely spat and John's eyes raised. What's with the hostility?

Rachel nods, shakes the salt onto her hand, and licks it. What the heck? It was just one shot right? She quickly downs the shot and immediately regrets it. The clear liquid BURNS her throat, it scorches it to the point where tears fill her eyes and she instantaneously sucks on the lemon like her life depended on it.

Once she is done, she has a coughing attack and tries to clear her throat to soothe the aching, but it simply made it worse. She reaches for the bottle of water she had yet to finish and downs it with force, after drinking the entire thing she sits in her chair panting.

"Well done." Jesse praises, clapping his hands.

Rachel smiles, still out of breath. "Now you John."

"Nah." John shakes his head and pushes the shot glass away from him. "I think I'll pass." Rachel's eyes grow wide and she punches her best friend's arm.

"I did not just do that for you to chicken out." Rachel shouts.

"I'm not chickening out." John says thoroughly annoyed, "I just don't want to. I never said yes."

"Whatever." Rachel rolls her eyes.

"Suit yourself." Jesse shrugs, pouring about ¼ of a cup of vodka into two small glasses. "This is called a Cranberry Cocktail." He pours about a cup of cranberry juice into the glasses as well, adds ice from the freezer, and mixes them with a black straws. "It is one of the most common cocktails people make. We usually make margaritas, sangrias, alcoholic punch or you can just have beer or straight liquor. But tonight we just have beer, cocktails, and straight liquor."

"That's fine. I don't really want to drink anyway." Johnathan responds, glancing at Rachel who was now eagerly drinking his water. Jesse again shrugs, drinks from his glass, and lifts the second glass in Rachel's direction.

"Do you want it?" He asks. "You don't have to if you don't want to."

"No. I want to." Rachel says all too quickly and takes the glass. She tentatively smells its contents and shrugs before taking a small sip, thoroughly tasting it. Johnathan shakes his head in her direction and leans back with his arms crossed.

"Not too bad." Rachel smiles, "You can taste the cranberry juice more than anything else. It just has a slight bitter taste."

"Told you." Jesse says, taking another swig of his glass. They talk more about different kinds of drinks and how to make them, when Johnathan notices that Rachel is becoming just a tab bit more giggly than usual. She laughs at all Jesse's jokes, which aren't funny at all, and even belly laughs when he makes a slightly funny face.

Their conversation begins to detour to funny stories that they have experienced over the years and they hysterically laugh at Jesse's story about falling into a pool. Which again wasn't even funny. John rolls his eyes, resting his head in his hands, and sighs. He shouldn't have even come to this party.

"And…and then! He said, 'Can I have a pickle?'" Rachel bursts out laughing and Jesse joins in. "Can you believe it?! A pickle! At a movie theatre!"

"That's hysterical!" Jesse responds. As Rachel goes to take a second sip from her drink, the brilliant football players decide to 'Go Long!' in the kitchen. In the process of catching the ball, Mr. Number 21, bumps into Rachel's chair, causing her to spill her entire drink onto her costume. The room goes silent for a moment.

"Oh my gosh, Rachel. I am so sorry." Number 21 says. "I am so sorry." Rachel giggles casually and hiccups in return.

"It's okay. It's just my mom's." She pats his back. "It's not like she is going to wear it again." She sends him off with a soft smile, takes a white towel from Jesse, and starts to dry herself off.

All while John's jaw had fallen to the floor and his brown eyes grow extremely wide. No. No it wasn't just her mom's. It was HER MOM'S COSTUME and they were basically dead because it was now ruined. Their obituaries were to appear in tomorrow's newspaper! Mrs. Shelby was going to be on the news for being a rogue mother who MURDERED HER CHILD! That's what was really going to happen.

"R-Rachel. Rachel we should go home." He tells her, watching her clean herself off with alarmed eyes.

"What? Why? I was just starting to have fun." She says, wiping her hands on the towel.

"I think we should go." He says. "You shouldn't drink anymore. This isn't our scene. We aren't party type kids. We should just go." He didn't know how to tell her that he wasn't having any fun and he was afraid that she would jump off the deep end with her drinking.

"Lighten up cheese head." She nudges his head. "We are just having a little fun. For once I am just having fun. No kids. No chores. No rehearsal. No show. No parents. No responsibilities. It's just me. Me and my two friends at a party. Plus if it makes you feel any better, I am not going to drink anymore. I just wanted a little buzz and I got it. So let's just let loose and party! Whoo!"

"No. No Rachel." He grabs her by the shoulders. "I think we should go." He says sternly.

"Oh lay off _Dad_." She mocks, smacking his arms away. "If you aren't having any fun then leave."

"What?" John asks stunned.

"Leave! Go on! I don't need a third parent okay. Well fourth if you count my dead beat dad." She spat. "Go!" John's face falls slightly and he frowns. _What did he do?_ "Go Johnathan!"

The entire room stares at the pair, waiting to see what would happen next. Johnathan knits his eyes in frustration and he reluctantly exits the room.

On his way out, he hears an unknown person yell "WHO WANTS TO PLAY TWISTER?!" and Rachel loudly respond, "ME!" and the rest of the room run off yelling "WHOOOO!" Johnathan looks over his shoulder as the kitchen door swings back and forth then settles on closing.

He wanders around the house wondering what to do. He knew that he needed to give Rachel some space for now, but he refuses to leave her at this party alone. With Jesse St. James of all people. Why couldn't she see past his suave charms and see his true intentions? He wanted her for the night, one night in the sack, and he was going to dump her like all the other girls.

He walks past the living room and into the foyer and climbs up the stairs. On his way up the stairs a blond girl in a Regina George bunny costume stops him as he past her.

"Hey!" She shouts unnecessarily loud. John turns around and stands in front of her, opting to just stare at her. No greeting, just staring. "Hi Johnathan." She smiles.

"I don't know you." He dryly says.

"Did you know your hair is straight?" She giggles.

"Yes." He leans on the banister.

"This party is awesome huh." She hiccups.

"Not really."

"Exactly right! It might as well be the best party in the entire history of the universe."

"Whatever you say."

"Did you know that the sky is blue because of the fact that we all live in Pegasus's mind and his eyes are blue?"

"Yes." He figures there is no point in arguing.

"Yeah and in reality you are me and I am you."

"Okay?"

"So I'm kind of talking to myself aren't I?"

"Yes."

"Hi self!"

"Hi."

"Why did you have sex with Daniel when you know that you are dating Zachary?"

"Because you are stupid."

"Maybe self. Maybe I am stupid."

"You are."

"Self why am I friends with Alicia if she is always stealing my boyfriends? I mean I know Zach is cheating on me with her."

"I am not a magic eight ball."

"I am fat like a ball?!" She then burst into tears.

Johnathan quickly shakes his hands in front of him "No! No, you're not fat." She immediately stops crying.

"I'm not?"

"No."

"So I am going to win Miss Universe?" Johnathan rolls his eyes.

"Why not?"

"YAY! So I'll live in space?"

"Yes."

"On Jupiter?"

"Yes."

"Are people stupider on Jupiter?"

"Yes."

"So I'll fit right in!"

"Yes."

"Thank you self!"

"You're welcome."

"Is Pegasus nice?"

"Yes, assuming since we live in his metaphysical eye."

"Why are his eyes blue?"

"Because the sky is blue."

"Why is the sky blue?"

"Because his eyes are blue."

"You are smart self."

"Thank you." She then look away at the wall then back at Johnathan.

"Oh hi Johnathan!"

Johnathan just walks away and down the hall on the right, leaving Barbie over there giggling and talking to herself about life in Pegasus's eye. He walks past the bathroom where girls were lined up in front of the mirror giggling and gossiping as they reapply make-up. He passes a bedroom where he hears odd muffled noises coming through and decides to walk a bit faster. He then arrives at a room with the door wide open and completely vacant. He shrugs, shuts the door and makes his way around the room.

The room is quite small with very little décor in it. It was simply a queen sized bed with generic peach sheets, comforter with two pillows and tiny useless pillows used as decoration that his mom uses at his house. There was a bedside table, a wide horizontal mirror above a waist high dresser, and a tall lamp in the corner of the room. It seemed like a kind of a guestroom that was hardly ever used.

"Who's there?" A voice says from behind the closet door, making Johnathan unexpectedly jump.

"W-who's there?" Johnathan echoes.

"I asked you first." The voice responds.

"I don't care." Johnathan crosses his arms.

"But I asked first."

"So."

"I am not opening the door until you state your name and business in this room."

"You don't have to open the door," Johnathan retorts, walking towards the bed. He welcomingly lays down on the bed with his arms behind his head and closes his eyes. He hears a huff behind the closet door and one of the closet doors slides to the side. John opens his eyes, looks in the direction of the closet.

The open door reveals a thin-framed girl sitting against the wall adjacent to the closet door. She was wearing a plain grey short-sleeved shirt, a floral pattern skirt, grey leggings, and floral pattern _Doc Martens_. Her sleek blond hair was about down to her waist and the light from the lamp reflects into her crystal green irises. He scrambles to sit up on the bed and gazes questioningly in her direction.

"Now. Who are you?" She asks, standing to her feet, revealing a small backpack on her back, and picks up a book and a flashlight.

"I'm Johnathan Gilmore." He says. "You?"

"Alice Quinn Carroll." She introduces herself, holding out her hand for him to shake and he does. "But, you can call me Quinn."

"Okay. So Quinn tell me, why are you in the closet of a guestroom reading…" He looks down and studies the name of her book, "_The Revolution of Every Day_ during 'The Party of the Century'." Jonathan mocks and she laughs.

"Some party." Quinn says. "I'm reading in here because people are either smoking, drinking, heavily making out in other rooms. As for why I am reading instead of enjoying the cliché pleasures of adolescence is because I was dragged here by my older brother. So while mom thinks we are out with some friends, we are really at this party and I am reading a good book. You?"

"Dragged here by my best friend, Rachel. She wanted to party and I wanted to adventure and go trick-or-treating." He sighs.

"Bummer. I mean who could pass up adventures and free candy?" Quinn agrees and laughs.

"Thank. You!" Johnathan good-naturedly rolls his eyes.

"Best friend?" Quinn asks, insinuating that they were more than just friends.

"Yes just best friends." He emphasizes. "Oh God no. She's like a sister."

"But you like her." Quinn smiles.

"No." He says all too quickly.

"Denial."

"I don't." Johnathan claims. "Why am I even arguing with you? I just met you."

"I'm easy to talk to." She shrugs, taking off her backpack and shoving the flashlight into it.

Johnathan raises his eyebrows. "Oh. Are you?"

"Yeah." She says matter-of-factly.

"Aaanyway." Johnathan says, changing the subject. "You read often?"

"I love reading!" She grins.

"Me too!"

"Really? It's just most kids our age don't read."

"The amount illiteracy in our society is astounding."

"Agreed."

John looks at the book once more. "What's your book about?"

"It's just about five squatters who try to make it through life in mid-nineties New York." She explains, shoving the book into her backpack and zipping it up.

"_RENT_." He says.

"What?"

"_Rent._ It's a musical about seven friends, well eight if you count Benny but I don't, who are bohemian residents in Alphabet City in the late-eighties. It's quite similar to your book isn't it?"

"I don't know." She innocently responds. "Interesting plot for a musical though, I'll have to look into it. You a theatre kid?"

"Guilty." Johnathan smiles. "I'm a Broadway Baby."

Quinn giggles, "You in a show?" John nods. "Which one?"

"_Tomorrow's Stars_. I play Caleb."

"Nice." Quinn nods approvingly. "You should sing something!"

"Nah." He laughs. "I'm trying to save my voice." He teasingly holds his throat and fake coughs.

"Loser." Quinn punches his arm. "I'm a future journalist."

"Interesting. _Village Voice_ or _New Yorker_?"

"Sorry to be cliché, but The New York Times."

"Aww come on! You're killing me." John says, gripping his shirt where his heart should be.

"Sorry." They laugh.

"What other books have you read?" John leans back on his hands.

"Well…I've read all of my favorite author, John Green's books such as _Looking for Alaska_, _The Fault in Our Stars_, _Paper Towns_ and plan on reading his collaborations soon."

"Why is he such a great writer? I've heard several of my friends rave about his books."

"He is just so brilliant! The way he connects with his readers is what amazes me. Every time I read one of his books it is almost as if he understands every aspect of my thoughts and feelings. He is always able to include a characteristic in each character that I can relate to. Also he doesn't try to make the world some sort of fantasy. He includes _everything_. The way it is in real life. The way teenagers think. The way circumstances are. The celebration of life and learning. AND the way life doesn't always go as planned. He is just brilliant." She finally takes a breath.

"Which book is your favorite?" Her eyes grow bright.

"_Paper Towns_! Absolutely _Paper Towns_." She bounces up and down with excitement and he laughs.

"Why?"

"Adventure. I love it because of their adventure and it isn't solely focused on a love story, which is awesome."

"I'll look into it." She nods.

"You should." She says. "What books do you read?"

"Well…I recently read and enjoyed the _Inheritance Cycle_ tetralogy and _The Catcher in the Rye_; which most people don't really read."

"The _Inheritance Cycle_ is more common than you think."

"I guess."

"I really enjoyed those books." John smiles.

"I've recently read _The Hunger Games_ and _Percy Jackson and the Olympians_ series." He tells her.

"Those were great!" Quinn approves and John nods with a smile.

"I now have my sights set on this book called _1984._"

"What is that book about?"

"From what I researched, it is the late 1940's perspective of a dystopian era."

"Like _Divergent_ and _The Hunger Games_ are our perspective of an impending dystopian era?"

"Precisely," John affirms. "It is about what the author thought society would become once we reached the year 1984. Although his claims didn't occur, and we don't currently live in a dystopian era, the general presumptions of the future still stand today. A corrupt government and an enslaved society for the most part, but I still have to read it because I am not entirely sure if my assumptions are correct."

"Sounds extremely interesting. I shall add it to my reading list."

"You should." He laughs, when suddenly Johnathan feels his pants vibrate.

"Excuse me for a second."

"No prob."

He reaches into his pocket and slips out Rachel's phone._ Rachel's phone?_ Then he remembers that she asked him to hold on it because she hadn't brought a purse. He presses the power button in order to bring the phone to life, only to see that she had 17 missed calls from Noah and a billion text messages.

With wide eyes he pulls out his phone from his other pocket and saw 10 missed calls from Noah and several text messages as well. He squinted his eyes in order to see the time and saw that it was 10:45. Fifteen minutes until curfew. _They were going to be obliterated._

"What's wrong?" Quinn asks, noticing his distressed face.

"I...I…" He stutters trying to compose a text message to Noah that says _'Where are you?'_ "I'm so sorry and I really wish I didn't have to, but I've got to go." He tells her.

"It's okay." She smiles. He nods and sheepishly smiles.

"I hope everything is okay!" She calls out after him as he exits the room, sprints down the hall, past Barbie, down the stairs, past the living room, and into the kitchen. He surveys the kitchen. No Rach. Just a bunch of idiots doing Jell-O shots and sniffing up salt.

He looks in every single room, the living room, the den, and every upstairs bedrooms. And some of the things he saw in those bedrooms cannot be un-seen. He hurries outside and surveys the porch, the lawn, the dance area, the pool, and ultimately finds her happily dancing on stage to Miley Cyrus's single _We Can't Stop_ with an assemblage of other girls. He quickly stalks up to her and taps her shoulder to get her attention.

"Oh hey John!" She says in a coherent manner, still dancing. _Thank God! She's sober._

"We have to go!" He shouts over the music.

"Ugh. Again? Loosen up!" She says grabbing him by the wrists, trying to coax him into dancing. He just snatches his hands away and pulls out his cellphone. He looks down and reads Noah's message that had come in 2 minutes ago. With wide eyes, he taps Rachel's shoulder again.

"What?" She groans, but is cut off when Johnathan points at the phone. Suddenly her eyes widen in similar shock and distress after reading the message. They grab each other's hands, run down the stage, shove past people, past the kitchen, past the den, past the foyer, out the door, and on their way down Golden Road. Rachel heavily pants as she illuminates John's phone once more in order to see the message.

Noah: **HURRY! Cops. Trouble. Charlie. Blood. Past Curfew. COME TO THE GARDENING SHED! NOW!**

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><p><strong>What do you think happened? Why is there panic in all of Noah's texts? Let me know your predictions :)<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you for the reviews, follows, and favorites!**

* * *

><p>Dashing down Golden Road was when they finally heard the sounds of sirens blaring in the distance. Their hearts began to beat more rapidly as thoughts as to why there were cacophonous sirens ran through their minds. <em>Were they coming to break up the party? Did something happen in the neighborhood? Was someone hurt? <em>Their eyes widened and breath hitched at the thought of the ambulance or police being there was because one of Rachel's siblings were hurt.

Adrenaline pumped through their veins, their calves stung, lungs were burning, and practically heaving for air. Rachel focused on keeping her balance in her mother's leather boots, while Johnathan held his baggy jeans up as they threatened to fall. All while they sped down Diamond Ave. past the enormous Victorian-style houses, which lead straight down to the small, bleak gardening shed.

The gardening shed was surrounded by darkness from a distance, almost as if it hadn't been inhabited for years, but as they got closer they saw a small light peeking through the cracks in the wood. To their right was a dead end of a wall of maple and oak trees, while on the right, a mile down the street, they were able to hear sirens more prominently and able to spot two ambulances, three police vehicles, and a fire truck in the distance.

There was also a large group of spectators across the street of the small park, where, they assumed, something had gone wrong. An internal sigh of relief went through their heads as they processed that the emergency vehicles were not because of the kids. But once they were close enough to the shed, they hears muffled wails and quicken their pace once more.

"Shhh…Shhh…it's okay. You'll be okay. Rach and John are almost here."

"Yeah it's okay."

"Don't cry." They hear the kids saying once they reach the wooden door. Without a second thought, Rachel pounds on the door as John looks to his right and sees two bikes with wooden carts attached to them. _What had they been doing?_

"Noah let me in!"

"Rach!" The door soon swung wide open, revealing a disheveled Noah and louder wailing. They enter the large room that was illuminated by a lantern and see that it was basically what they expected a gardening shed to look like.

The only question was, why were the kids in the shed to begin with? Rachel's gaze goes from one kid to the other and they were all wearing alarmed looks on their faces. Her eyebrows knit in confusion until she registers the urgent crying and she spots a red-eyed maskless Charlie sitting in the corner of the room.

She rushes to the little girl and is finally able to see the reason behind the panic. Her heart begins to race once again as she sees a pair of scissors discarded on the wooden floor and what seemed to be the remains of her sister's left legging that had been cut off from the knee down. Charlie's left leg had been wrapped with what looked like a white muscle shirt and a jersey, which were now drenched with blood.

"What happened?" John angrily asks. Not angry at the kids per say, just at the thought that someone caused Charlotte pain. Rachel kneels down before the girl, but Charlotte couldn't talk between the panicked sobbing and holding her knee because she couldn't hold her calf.

"W-We were getting Cornelius back." Max explains, hiccupping himself.

"And we were having fun pranking other people." Genevieve says between her own sobs.

"But then the cops came and we had to run or else we were gonna get in trouble." Noah says, shivering because of his lack of shirt.

"So when we were all trying to rush out of the park, Charlie fell out of the tree."

"And she cut herself with something, but we don't know what. A sharp branch or a rusty nail or something."

"We ran here so we wouldn't get in trouble and Noah had to carry her here."

"Her cut won't stop bleeding." Noah shouts, showing them his blood stained hands.

"What?!" John asks. "Why didn't you go home or call an ambulance or something?"

"We…"

"No time!" Rachel shouts, grabbing her sister under the arms and carrying her. "We have to get home. FAST!"

"But how?" Johnathan asks. "We can't just run there."

"We have no choice." Rachel responds.

"The bikes!" Maks remembers, rushing out the wooden door.

"What?" Rachel passes Charlie over to John, who was now screaming in pain from being moved and was sobbing harder.

"We brought bikes here. Come on!" Genevieve explains, motioning for them to follow her and Noah out the door. Maks and Noah begin to move their supplies into one crate and kept one completely empty.

"Put her in here." Maks tells John pointing to the empty cart, who was covering Charlie's mouth with his hand. There was no need to further alarm the police right now. John carefully lowers Charlie into the cart and tries to stabilize her foot so her knee was bent and her leg wasn't hanging out of the cart.

"M-m-m-mommy. I-I w-want m-m-mommy!"

"Charlie." Rachel gently says, kneeling and holding onto the side of the crate, searching the girl's red, swollen, eyes, "Look at me. I need you to be brave right now okay. Stop crying. We are going to take you to mommy, but in order to do that you can't scream or yell. I need you to stick it out until we get home okay?" Charlie bites her lip and nods, but can't help but hiccup and heavily sob.

"Okay. Rachel and I will ride the bikes." John announces.

"Yeah." Noah urgently responds. "Genny, get into the other crate and put all the stuff on top of you. Maks and I will ride on the pegs. Come on hurry."

"Let's go!"

~.~

The Corcorans' family room had been taken over by the Larson sisters. The couch's pillows discarded all over the floor, a box of pizza, bowl of popcorn and cups of half empty _Coke_ sat on the coffee table, and an empty bottle of _Coca Cola_ thrown on the floor. _The Breakfast Club_ case laid wide open on the entertainment center and the DVD left on top of the Blu-Ray player, and Kevin Bacon was on the screen dancing to _Footloose_.

Shelby's head leaned on one of the arms of the couch, while Raquel's head was on the other arm, and their legs were entangled as their eyes were glued to the screen; looking like they often did on several nights as teenagers. In a moment of discomfort, Shelby moves her legs in order to gain a more comfortable position.

"Ow!" Raquel cries out.

"What?" Shelby knits her eyebrows.

"You kicked me in the stomach." Raquel grunts as she kicks her younger sister's thigh.

"Ow!" Shelby kicks her sister back. "No I didn't."

"Yeah you did." In one quick motion, Raquel grabs one of the throw pillows, sits up and smacks her sister's face with it. She laughs as Shelby's hair is forced to stick up in different directions by the sudden blow. Shelby narrows her eyes at her older sister, picks up throw pillow, and hits her back.

"Take that!" Shelby yells.

"Don't hit me."

"You hit me first!"

"Take that!" Raquel picks up a pillow and stand on the couch. "On guard!" She holds up the pillow as if she is holding a sword and Shelby quickly emulates her position.

"Fence!" Before they even know it, they have engaged in their own personal pillow fight. _Yup! Looks like a blast from the past._

"Ugh!" Shelby mutters, standing on the couch, "Take that!" The thirty-seven year old woman smacks her older sister upside the head.

"Take that!" Raquel uses the pillow to smack her sister' leg, making her lose balance, and fall onto the couch. Raquel takes this advantage by quickly straddling her little sister and proceeds to use her hands to annoyingly rub her sister's face. Shelby tries to fight back, but Raquel found a way to pin her arms to her sides with her legs, therefore leaving her to simply move her face from side to side in a futile attempt to get away.

"Raquel!" Shelby shouts. "Stop it!"

"You've had enough?" Raquel taunts, tickling her sister's neck, sending the younger women into a fit of laughter.

"Stoooop!" Shelby whines. "Get OFF mee!" She starts to kick her feet and knees her sister in the back.

"Ow!" Raquel cries, punching her sister in the shoulder. "That hurt."

"Well get off me!" Shelby says. Reluctantly Raquel gets off her sister, who scrambles to sit on one side of the couch, and she settles on the other side.

"That hurt." Raquel pushes her sister's arm.

"You hurt me first."

"No I didn't!" Raquel complains. "You kicked me first."

"No I didn't."

"Yes you did!"

"No I didn't!" Shelby whines. "I'm going to call mom."

"Oh geez. Get over yourself. You are thirty-seven years old and you are going to go crying to mommy?"

"Well you are thirty-nine! Shouldn't you be above hitting your little sister?"

"Exactly. You're my little sister. Nothing changes that. Not even age." Raquel sticks her tongue out at the younger women, who folds her arms and pouts.

"That isn't fair."

"Life isn't fair." Shelby opens her mouth to say something else before she is interrupted by the sounds out the front door being swung open. The door being swung open, people running, and several children shouting "Mom!"

Out of curiosity, and internal worry, the two mothers skidder out of the family room, down the hallway, and into the foyer where they stop in their tracks. Their eyes widen, eyebrows knit in confusion, and they stand dumbfounded at the sight before them.

Six children. Six children talking all at once. And six children in quite the opposite condition that they had sent them off in.

To begin with, Rachel and Johnathan were in completely different outfits than they had left with. Brunette hair sticking up in all directions, faces pale, and panting. _Was that her Maureen costume?_

Noah stood there shouting, being drowned out by all the other children's shouts, without a shirt on and his chest covered in Goosebumps.

Maks and Genny no longer had their masks on, Maks's honey brown hair blown about and Genny's brunette fringe standing right up.

Leaving Charlie who was clinging to Johnathan's neck, loudly crying, face pale, eyes bloodshot, her curls tangled about, and mask gone. Suddenly a high-pitched whistle sounded, leaving everyone in utter silence; except for Charlie who was still hiccupping.

Everett took his fingers out of his mouth, walking towards the group from the den, with Uncle Henry in tow. "Now, calmly, tell us what is going on."

"You have to take Charlie to the hospital!" Johnathan says.

"What?" Shelby's eyebrows furrow. "Why?" It was then that the children made way for Johnathan to pass by them and Charlie's left calf was revealed. The white shirt and jersey were now covered in blood and a small droplet of blood trickled down the little girl's leg and into her shoe.

Shelby gasps, "What happened?!" The children try to explain the night's previous events as best as they could in the panicked state, but they were all taking at once and making no sense. She immediately takes her youngest from Johnathan's grasp and takes her into the kitchen, as everyone followed, talking about what they were going to do.

She sits her pale, weeping daughter onto the counter and starts the carefully untie the shirts off her leg, but the little girl cries louder and frantically shakes her head. "Shh…it's okay." The mother coos, cupping her daughter's cheek and kisses it. "Mommy won't hurt you. I promise." She works to untie the knot and Charlie's breath speeds up as she slowly panics.

"It's okay, Shirley." Everett tells her. "Mommy is only trying to help."

While Aunt Raquel assists Noah by the sink, helping him wash the blood off his hands, and the others hover over Charlie. Charlotte's breathing doesn't get any better, in fact evidence of terror crosses her features as everyone makes a big deal about the situation.

Realizing that all the attention is making Charlie panic more, Everett says, "Alright everyone, into the living room! Let's go." He takes Maks by the shoulders and leads them down the hall towards the living room instead of the messy family room that was in full view of the kitchen. Leaving only Shelby, Raquel, Noah, and Charlotte in the kitchen.

"Almost done baby." Shelby coos, within seconds she takes off the bloody shirts and tears prick in her eyes at the sight of the cut. It takes everything in her to refrain from gagging, there was a deep cut beginning from right below the side of her daughter's knee that curves down to the outside of her leg. The blood continues to flow and a small portion of her skin was shaved off and curled upward. It wasn't a wide wound, but a deep slit with skin lifting up.

Shelby's heart was pounding with worry and adrenaline courses through her veins. She needs to work out a plan, a good plan that would run smoothly, and she needs to get her child to the hospital immediately without alerting the media. She needs to make some calls.

Noticing her sister's panic and curiosity as to how bad the cut really was, Raquel leans over the counter and gasps at the sight of the wound. "How long has she been bleeding?" Raquel asks Noah, who now has tears in his eyes.

"I-I don't know. Maybe twenty minutes? Half an hour? I-I tried to help." Noah begins to cry. "I just forgot to call 911 or come here. I could only think about trying to get Rachel's help. I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry."

Raquel envelopes her son and rubs his back in order to calm him. "Shh…it's alright. You tried your best."

"M-mommy." Charlie reaches for her mother.

"I will be right back baby." Shelby gently puts Charlie's arms down and hurries towards the hallway.

"Mommy! Mommy! No! Mommy!" Charlotte's cries get louder and more urgent as Shelby walks away.

"It's alright honey. She will be right back." Raquel tells her. "Noah, go with Uncle Everett." Noah nods and exits the room with remorse.

"No." She shakes her head. "Mommy. I want mommy." After about eight minutes of Charlie's frantic calling for her mother and Raquel trying to calm her, Shelby rushes back with three towels, a toddler sized long-sleeved wool dress, a pair of wool socks, her purse and was on the phone with one of the family's bodyguards.

"Yes Noah," She says into the phone. "I need to meet someone outside of the The Community and I need a police escort to the nearest hospital, my daughter is hurt and may need stitches…No I don't need to call an ambulance, that will cause a rousing…please Noah…thank you." She points to the phone and places her index finger to her lips. "On 45th and Avenue Q?...yes please have Joshua call the hospital and tell them we are coming…In about ten minutes…Thank you so much! I owe you!...Okay…bye." She hangs up the cellphone and places it in her purse before washing her hands and taking Charlie's leg into her hands. She then gently places the skin down where it once was, Charlie evidently flinches with fright, and wraps the towel around the leg.

"I need to take her to the hospital." Shelby calmly tells Raquel, beginning to dig through a drawer beside the sink.

"Noooo no doctors."

"You have to babe." Shelby tells her. "Or else you won't get better." Charlie once again reaches for her mother looking for comfort. "Wait Shirley."

"I am coming with you." Raquel announces and Shelby smiles gratefully, coming up with a pair of scissors.

"Can you help me undress her?" Shelby asks, as she carefully starts to cut the remains of the black legging upward, which had been cut by Noah, until she cuts the waistband so that she wouldn't disturb the wound.

"N-no S-shots." Charlie tells her mother in between sobs; half wheezing, half crying.

"Shh." Shelby says, not wanting to promise anything. Knowing full well that stitches were going to be in order. "You need to calm down and breathe. This isn't something to have an asthma attack over. Look at me." Green eyes meet. "Breathe. You will be okay, but I need you to breathe. Stop panicking. Mommy's got you." Charlie slowly breathes in and out.

"Rach can you get Charlie's inhaler from the medicine cabinet right up there, please?" Shelby points to a high kitchen cabinet and Raquel takes off to find the little girl's inhaler. Shelby removes the flats from Charlie's feet and peels off the remaining pants' leg. The girl's mother pulls the fairy dress and wings off her daughter and replaces it with a pink wool dress then pulls the pink wool socks onto the little feet and cuffs them.

"I got the inhaler and some painkillers." Raquel says, placing it into Shelby's purse. You never know when you will need some ibuprofen.

"Phone. Check. Inhaler. Check. Purse. Check. Towels. Check. And child. Check." Shelby says, mentally checking off everything they need.

"I think we are ready." Raquel says, throwing Shelby's purse onto her shoulder and taking the towels in hand. Shelby ties her daughter's hair into a messy ponytail with a hair tie that was on her wrist.

"Let's go." Shelby says lifting Charlie onto her hips, who in turn clings to her and whimpers into her neck. In an attempt to soothe her, Shelby gently massages her scalp, knowing that it calms her, and quickly rushes towards the front door. "We are going to the hospital okay?" Shelby tells her husband.

"Alright." Everett nods. "Call your publicist."

"I will." Shelby informs him and Everett gives her a quick parting kiss.

"I'll drive you." Henry offers, taking out his keys from his pocket.

"Be brave my little soldier." Everett tells Charlie, kissing her forehead. Charlie whimpers in response.

"Can you take care of Noah?" Raquel asks Everett, following her sister. "I am going with them."

"Yes." He nods. "Now go! Go!" He waves them off and they all rush out the door, hospital bound.

~.~

"So let me get this straight. You two had told us that you would take the little kids trick-or-treating around the neighborhood, but instead had ulterior motives. Ulterior motives that included stealing your mother's sentimental costume that now may be ruined, being deceitful and going behind our backs in order to change into said costume, and go to a wild party that included drinking and lack of parental supervision. Also at these festivities you decided it would be alright to engage in underage drinking. Did I miss anything?" Everett paces back and forth before five petulant children slumped on the couch.

"No sir." Rachel states. 'No Sir' was a must in their household. One could not simply respond with a 'no'. That is, according to Everett, disrespect and a sign of rebellion against parental authority. _Stupid military._

"How many drinks?"

"A can of Straw-ber-ita beer, a shot of vodka, and a sip of a Cranberry Cocktail, but Johnathan only had a Straw-ber-ita." Rachel rolls her eyes and Johnathan nods. Everett shakes his head and then looks to the younger children.

"And you three decided to take advantage of your sister's absence. You stole a CPR dummy and your mother's make-up in order to concoct a scheme to prank the residents of the neighborhood…"

"No. Just Cornelius and then we decided to prank other kids." Maks interrupts.

"Was I finished Maks?" Everett asks with a bit of edge in his voice. Maks then slumps even further down into the couch.

"No sir."

"So you concocted a scheme to prank the residents of the neighborhood by tying a 'bloody' dummy to a tree. Thus creating some sort of commotion that caused the authorities to get involved, therefore wasting their time and taking away valuable time from someone else who may have needed their help. Someone who could have been in actual trouble. A scheme that also resulted in you running away from the authorities and your younger sister having to get stitches. Am I correct?"

"Yes sir." Maks mumbles.

"Articulate." Everett sternly says.

"Yes sir." Maks coherently says.

Rachel internally rolls her eyes. Earlier she contemplated lying and saying that they had all been together the entire time. That what had happened to Charlotte was nothing but an accident, but noooo. Once they had been sat down and Everett was forced to bring out his authoritative side, the younger children began spouting out all the events that occurred earlier that evening. Also it wasn't like she could have hid it anyway. She in fact was in her mother's costume and did smell like alcohol because stupid football player Number 21 had made her spill her drink all over the costume. She could not believe this was happening.

"Alright then." Everett crosses his arms. "I do believe that it is time for you, Mr. Gilmore, to return to your home before your parents get concerned. Don't worry though. I will be informing them of tonight's escapades." Rachel scoffs at that statement.

"Yes sir." Johnathan guiltily nods. "I apologize for tonight sir." Johnathan, with eyes averted, gives Rachel her cellphone, trudges out of the room and disappears out the front door.

"Is there something you would like to add Rachel?" Everett asks noticing her defiant demeanor, while the three younger children stare at her. She then crosses her arms and mumbles something under her breath that Everett was not able to catch.

"Speak up." Everett booms. He was not going to tolerate her attitude.

"You're not even my dad." She says just above a whisper, but continued to have a rebellious stance. Maks's jaw drops at her assessment. Genevieve's eyebrows shoot up. Noah's eyes shift back and forth from father to daughter.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me?"

"Rachel. I have raised you since you were about five years old. I raised you. I was there when you were sick, hurt, sad, etc. I always attended your gymnastics competitions, school plays, ballet and piano recitals, soccer games, opening nights. I am your parent. I have always corrected you and loved you and punished you and cuddled with you. I am your father. Regardless of blood relation, physical features, or last names." Everett fumes. _How dare she say that? How dare she?_

"No. You are not my father. You are my step-father. _STEP_-father." Rachel emphasizes, getting to her feet, arms crossed, and tries to size him up.

"So explain to me what step-fathers do then, Rachel. Tell me. What do they do? Do they just stand by and let their step-children do whatever they desire? Do they allow them to disregard all rules? Do you want me to be the fun step-dad who lets you do everything and leaves the parenting to your mother? Is that what you want Rachel?" Rachel simply shrugs in response. "Fine. If that is what you want, that is just fine Rachel Barbra." He then turns to the younger children with equal anger.

"Maks. I want you to go upstairs and bring down a pair of pajamas for Noah." Everett says. "Go and we will wait for you right here."

Maks tentatively gets to his feet and cautiously watches his father as he takes each step upstairs at snail speed. After a few minutes, Maks slowly returns with a pair of pajamas that consisted of a grey t-shirt and blue pants and hands them to his cousin.

"Good, now Noah you will be spending the night in the guest room, right before you reach the kitchen and family room, there is a hallway. Go down that hallway and the first door on your right is the guest room. Don't stall by going into the den or the guest bathroom. You change into your pajamas and go to bed."

"Yes sir." Noah says, taking the pajamas and going down the hallway. Everett doesn't speak again until he hears the guestroom door shut.

"Maks and Genevieve, because of tonight's events and your behavior, you will be receiving a spanking."

"But…"

"No! I'm too old!"

"I don't care, you know what you did was wrong and you now have to face the consequences. You lied, you stole, you vandalized the park, and you caused someone to falsely call the emergency authorities. That will not slide guys, not at all. Along with your punishment, you will have ten days of grounding." He decides on ten days because he couldn't figure out whether two weeks was too much and one week was too lenient. "That means no television, no video games, no wandering in the city, and no playing outside. Because you two are in the show there is only so much grounding I can do. So on your days off you will be inside doing extra chores and helping around the house and on the days you work, you will be at your mother's side at all times. Is that clear?" Everett sternly explains.

"Yes sir." Maks quietly says.

"Yes sir." Genevieve echoes.

"It is 11:45 and it's too late for you to shower, so just change into your pajamas and I will be up in a second." With that, the children do the 'walk of shame' upstairs, leaving Rachel and Everett alone.

"Now Rachel. I want you to change out of your mother's clothes, shower in your bathroom, get into comfortable clothes, and meet me down here in thirty minutes." He says.

"Why?" Rachel asks, taking the stupid cat ears off her head.

"Thirty. Minutes. Clear?"

"Crystal." Rachel sasses, and Everett balls his fists and irately narrows his eyes.

"Upstairs! Now!"

12:30 am. November 1st. Everett sat on the top step of the staircase with his head in his hands. He hated this part. He hated having to be the disciplinarian. He was always the good cop, the parent the kids went to when they wanted to get away with staying up late, eating cookies before bed, or conning mom into taking them to the movies or letting them audition for a play. Simply because he had been in the armed forces didn't mean that his personal character had been broken.

Suddenly he heard someone behind him clear their throat, pulling him out of his thoughts. He turned and saw his eldest in one of Shelby's old WICKED t-shirts that hung off her like a short dress, dark grey leggings, and long black socks that she pulled up to her calves. Her long, damp, brunette hair was twirled into a bun, her fringe formed long curly strands that framed her face, and she stood there opening and closing her mouth like a dehydrated fish.

Rachel stands there, looking down at her dad, half wanting to apologize, but her stubbornness won't allow it. So she is torn between saying "Daddy?" feeling remorseful for all that she told him and saying "What do you want?" still wanting to cling to her anger and teenage irrationality. She opens and closes her mouth, trying to decide what to say, which constitutes to making her look like an idiot. But before she can say anything, he stands to his feet and gives her a smile. _A smile? Are you kidding? After practically disowning him as a father, he is SMILING?_

"Well, shall we?" Everett says, ascending down the stairs as Rachel follows him into the family room. The family room had been cleaned up and organized, since the whirlwind called the Larson sisters destroyed it, and now it was calm and full of serenity. Once they reached the room, Everett guides Rachel to sit on the couch and disappears down the hall where Noah had fallen into a deep slumber.

Curiosity getting the best of her, Rachel gets on her knees, places her hands on the back of the couch, and cranes her neck in order to see what her father was up to. She was not able to see anything except for the fact that the door leading to the den was wide open. She stays in that position for a few minutes until she hears glass clanking and her father trying to quietly wheel something into the family room.

When her father makes his way closer, she hops down and sits casually on the couch as if she wasn't snooping. Her mouth drops slightly and her eyes narrow completely perplexed as to why her father was bringing out his liquor cart. Their parents never drank in front of them. Never. In fact they hardly ever drank alcohol at all, with the show and having children, and their demanding schedules they don't have time. The only alcoholic beverage they drink is wine at dinner.

"What is that?" Rachel asks. Everett ignores her question and parks the cart beside the family room's arm chair. Then walks down into the kitchen. Rachel scratches her head, _what is he up to?_ He soon returns with two jugs of orange juice and apple juice and two glasses filled with ice in his arms, then places all of the items on the coffee table. "What are you doing?"

"Well my darling Rachel." Everett says, scanning through his liquor cart for something specific. "Because you said that you do not consider me a father to you, but simply desire for me to be the step-father who lets you disregard all the rules, I am granting your wish. And because you believe you are ready to consume alcohol, even though you are underage, I might as well show you the ropes and we can drink together. I would much rather you drink with me than out there with other people." Rachel's eyebrows shoot up. _Was he nuts? Where was Mr. Military Dude who says that one is supposed to abide by the laws and be a model citizen?_

"What?" Rachel asks in disbelief.

"Yeah." Everett nods. He finally finds his favorite whiskey behind the vodka and rum, he pulls out the glass container and sets it on the table. "Since I don't really have the means to prepare any sophisticated drinks, I am just going to make some simple household cocktails? If they can even be considered cocktails."

"You're not serious."

"I am." Everett affirms, pouring some whiskey into each glass.

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><p><strong>Review?<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey! I totally get what some of you are saying, how you would like to see more of the Glee characters in this story. I hear you, I promise I do, but you see my story is coming to an end, so I can't really change much now. But thank you for reading! I did incorporate a Mama Shelby/ Rachel scene if you would like to check it out! Thank you!**

**Oh! I get that there may be weirdness about Shelby naming her daughter Rachel and her sister's name being Raquel, but I just wanted to do that to show the closeness between Shelby and her sister. I am named after my aunt because of my mom's close relationship with her.**

* * *

><p>"This is whiskey." He lifts up his bottle of <em>Jack Daniel's<em> whiskey to show her the label and sets it back down. "Then you add some orange juice in it. Make sure you fill ¾ of it with orange juice in order to overpower the whiskey." He pours the orange juice in and Rachel intently watches. "And that's all there is to it." He hands her one of the glasses and takes his own, leaning back into the arm chair.

"And you're just going to let me drink this?" Rachel points to her glass.

"Why not?" He shrugs, taking another sip. Rachel slowly brings the drink to her lips, waiting for him to stop her, and when he doesn't, she drinks a mouth full of the drink. It didn't taste half bad, it tasted like orange juice with a slight off taste that gave her a small tingling sensation in her throat. "Hey, don't gulp it down. Just sip it." Rachel nods and takes a sip.

"I cannot believe you are actually letting me drink." Rachel giggles, taking another sip.

"Well I mean you do turn sixteen in a couple months and if you feel you are ready and responsible enough…what the heck? Why not?"

"You're so cool."

"Yeah, cool."

Once they are done with their first 'cocktail', Everett disappears into the kitchen, and returns with new ice in their glasses. "Okay now this one is exactly the same, except I am going to use some apple juice."

"Okay." Rachel responds.

"Now I am going to use a different liquor in mine, but I wouldn't suggest you mixing alcohols since it is your first time drinking." He adds some more Jack Daniel's liquor to her glass and grabs a glass container without a label from the cart and adds some of its contents to his glass.

"What are you adding to your drink?" Rachel asks, taking her glass from him.

"It's called Wasser." He smiles, drinking from his glass.

"Oh. Wasser. Sounds foreign." She tells him, as she drinks her cocktail.

"Not as foreign as you think." He says. "You want to watch some _Friends_?" Rachel excitedly nods and Everett reaches for the remote and brings the television to life. Scrolling through the **On Demand** section of the guide in order to find their desired television show is when he notices Rachel begin to get relax and become comfortable with herself. She leans back against the couch, sets her feet onto the coffee table, and takes another swig of her drink.

Fifteen minutes into the show, Everett hears Rachel ask, "Daddy, do you want another drink?" Now that she has watched Jesse and her father prepare cocktails for her, she feels confident that she can make another.

"No honey, I haven't even finished my second one, but you go right ahead. Though I'd advise you to drink some water in between drinks." Everett says, placing his glass onto the coffee table and reclining in his chair.

"No I'm okay." Rachel tells him, sticking out her tongue as she focuses on measuring the amount of whiskey in her glass and pours some more apple juice.

Thirty minutes, and another drink later, is when Everett notices Rachel begin to get quiet sloppy. She giggles after every single thing that could be considered remotely amusing during the show, and her words begin to slur. He begins to internally count the amount of alcohol in her system. She had had a beer, a shot, two apple juice cocktails, an orange juice cocktail, and a sip of a cranberry vodka cocktail. It was when she reaches for another that he takes her glass away and returns the bottles of alcohol to the cart.

"I think you've had enough princess." He tells her, leaning back into his chair.

"Nooooo…Daddyyy. I…" She hiccups. "Want…" Hiccup. "More."

"No. You've had enough."

"Pleasseeee…" She gets up from her perch on the couch, walks across the room, and settles into her father's lap. "Can I have one more?" He smirks at her sloppiness. Just as he suspected. _Light-weight. Just like Shelby._

"No. You may not." He tells her. "If you want one more of something. How about a shot? Just one. Then no more."

"Eeeeeewwwww." She shrieks. "Shots are bad. Very bad. They are yucky and groooosss."

"Are they? I like them." Everett says, as she leans back against his chest, just like she used to when she was very young.

"Yup. They make mosters come out." She slurs, turning to face him with her hands clawed and her face as menacing as she could possibly make it.

"Mosters?" He laughs.

"Yeah mosters. The ones that come out at night when you sleepin. The one that hides under da beds." She loudly roars and then giggles.

"Shhh…Rachel. You are going to wake the kids." He reprimands, placing his finger to his lips.

"Sorry." She pouts. "I just wants to tell you how they are super scary."

"Yeah I know." He nods. "They are scary." She then leans back against him and closes her eyes.

"Daddy?" She says.

"Yes?"

"What's a Wasser?"

"Oh it's German for water." He informs her with a smirk.

"So it's not al-alcohol." She innocently asks.

"Nope." He tells her. "It's just water. I watered down my apple juice."

"That sounds gross daddy."

"Actually it's not. It tastes like the apple juice they give to infants."

"Infants are cuuuuute."

"Yeah they can be."

"Daddy?"

"Uh-huh?"

"When Mama comin home?"

"When they are done treating your sister."

"When will that be?"

"Soon." She suddenly gasps, wiggles off his lap, grabs the remote, and scrolls through the guide bouncing up and down with drunken excitement.

"What are you-…?" He is cut off by the sounds of a LOUD horrid song playing through the speakers. She shrieks with excitement, runs onto the couch, and jumps up and down. Twirling and giggling and singing along to the lyrics. Everett stands there covering his ears with his hands, trying to register what was going on.

"I crashed my car into the bridge! I DON'T CARE! I LOVE IT! I DON'T CARE!" She sings, more like screams, at the top of her lungs. All the while Everett rushes over to her and tries to grab the remote away from her. Oh gosh he hates this song. It is the most annoying pop song that has been recently released. _Why would you crash your car into the bridge?_

"Give me the remote Rachel." He shouts over the music. The kids were sure going to wake up now. "Give it to me now."

"I got this feeling on the summer day when you were gone. I crashed my car into the bridge. I watched, I let it burn… I DON'T CARE!" She continues, as Everett pulls the remote from her firm grasp, until he successfully takes it from her and mutes the television. He slumps down into the lounge chair as Rachel continues to jump until she realizes that the song has been muted.

"Daddyyy." She whines. "I was listening to that."

"Well you're brother, sister, and cousin are asleep and you need to settle down." He tightly says.

"I don't wanna settle down." She scurries off the couch and in the direction of the kitchen. Everett covers his face with is hands and groans, he didn't know what he was expecting when he decided to let her have a few drinks, but it definitely wasn't having another hyperactive five-year-old in the house. He had enough of that with Charlie.

Meanwhile, the loud noises, shouting, and singing had indeed woken the sleeping younger children. Maks and Genevieve were both perched on their knees by the small railing of the stairs. With one banister in each hand, they pressed their faces between the gaps of the banisters and strain to hear what the commotion was all about.

"Why is she screaming?" Genevieve asks her brother, wearing her older sister's hand-me-down Lizzie McGuire pajamas.

"She's not really screaming, more like singing really loud and off-key." Maks responds.

"I wish we could go down there and have fun too."

"I don't think she's having fun. I think Dad is going to get mad and send her to her room for staying up late."

"Daddy always lets us stay up late." Genny argues, looking over at him through the gap.

They had become expert snoops over the last few years. Most nights when they were sent off to bed, Maks and Genevieve would observe what their parents do after they went to bed. Most of the time they just went to sleep as well, but there were other nights when Mom and Dad would sit with a glass of wine and watch a rated R movie! A movie which they were obviously not allowed to watch, and they would sit and listen to the movie until they got too tired or they got bored.

Often times they weren't interested in what they were watching or what they were doing, it was just that exhilarating feeling of staying up late and not getting caught. Unfortunately, they didn't have televisions upstairs, so they had to settle for snooping on their parents and older sister for entertainment.

"She's going completely mental." Maks whispers to Genny, when Rachel begins to shout her rendition of _We Are the Champions_.

"Agreed." Genevieve nods. "I think she is on happy pills."

"Do you even know what happy pills are?" Maks asks with his eyebrow raised.

"No. Rach just says that all the time." Genevieve tells him. "I just think it is appropriate for the situation."

"If you say so." Maks shrugs. "Maybe we should go to bed before we get caught. Plus I'm getting sleepy."

"Me too." Genevieve says. "Do you think Noah is awake?"

"Nah. Just think of it like this. If we have an earthquake, hurricane, alien abduction, and zombie apocalypse all in one day, that dude would sleep right through all of it." Maks laughs. And just like Maks said, Noah was downstairs fast asleep in the guest bedroom's plush queen-sized bed.

"Rach." Everett groans, getting up and following his daughter into the kitchen. His daughter, who was pulling out all of the cereal boxes from the pantry and mixing them all up in a large bowl and dousing them with about a liter of milk. Okay maybe he was exaggerating, but it was a lot of milk. It was a mixture of _Cocoa Pebbles, Coco Puffs, Kix, Trix,_ and _Cherrios._ She then grabs a ladle and attempts to shovel cereal into her mouth, spilling the wet cereal down her shirt, onto the counter, and floor.

"Rachel. Stop it." He tries to grab the ladle, but she possessively moves away from him and continues to feverishly try to feed herself. "Rachel." In one quick motion he takes the bowl away from her and pours it out into the sink. "That's enough."

"No." She smiles, excitedly hopping like a bunny. "I want to be like Hugh Jackman at the Tony's!" She then continues to hop circles around the kitchen's island and hum the tune he had hopped to.

Earlier that year they had attended the Tony Awards, all except Genny and Charlie who stayed with their grandmother, where Hugh Jackman did a bit where he hopped around the lot before he entered the auditorium. He mutters to himself as he takes a seat on a stool and watches as Rachel hops around the kitchen and family room and back several times. He had learned, after years of raising four children, the best thing to do with a hyperactive child is to find a way to tire them out. If Rachel's way of tiring herself out was to hop around like a bunny rabbit, then he was going to allow it to happen. As long as she didn't wake up any of the other children, he did not mind at all.

"Don't cry." Everett says, with Rachel curled up in a ball, leaning against him on the couch. After her incessant hopping, she finally settled down on the couch to watch a little more of Friends, before she suddenly began to whimper and ultimately cry in full for no apparent reason.

"J-J…" Rachel tries to say in between sobs.

"What?" Everett asks, leaning his elbow on the back of the couch and resting his chin in his palm.

"Judy Garland died Papa." Rachel cries into his chest and Everett rolls his eyes. _Seriously? _

"Yes she did, honey. She died in 1969." He tells her, rubbing her back.

"But I don't want her to be dead. She did such a good job in _Wizard of Oz_ and _Meet Me in St. Louis_. Why does she have to be dead?" She cries even harder.

"Because people die. People die all the time and it was just her time I suppose." He responds, leaving out the fact that she died of an overdose.

"Did Barbra die too?"

"No Barbra Streisand didn't die too. She is very much alive."

"Will you sing "The Trolley Song" for me?" She asks, slowing down her sobs.

"I can't sing very well." He smiles.

"Mama can sing. She sings very well." Rachel says, swiping her tears, which turns into a yawn.

"Yes she is an exceptional singer." He agrees.

"Where is she?"

"She is in the hospital." He says for the billionth time.

"Did she get hurt?" She asks with wide eyes and a quivering lip.

"No." He tells her.

"Oh." She says. "That's good."

"Mhmm."

After a few moments he feels Rachel's body relax as she begins to dose off. _Thank God!_ He slowly grabs the remote and mutes the television, then grabs the blanket that is usually thrown over the side of the couch for decoration and uses it to cover them up. Rachel cuddles closer into her father and her breathing slows to a steady rhythm.

All of a sudden, in the midst of the relaxing silence, Everett hears a sound coming from the front door. The sound of a key being shoved into the keyhole. Slowly and as swiftly as he can, he slips out from Rachel's grasp and stands up. He waits for a moment to see if Rachel is in any way fazed by his movements, but she simply mutters something and cuddles further into the back of the couch. Victorious, he mouths "Yes!' and jerks his fists down to his chest. He then pads to the front door, just in time to see his sister-in-law open the door and his wife carrying his slumbering daughter in tow.

"Is she okay?" He whispers, carefully taking the little girl from his wife.

"Yeah." Shelby whispers, taking off her shoes and leaving them by the door. "She was such a trooper. We got there and had to enter from the emergency door because there was no way that I would be able wait in the waiting room without being mobbed by people. So my regular doctor, Dr. Morris, took Charlotte into her room. They injected her with something to numb her leg and they had Raquel and me talk to her in order to distract her while they gave her stitches."

"How many stitches?" He asks, looking down to see a thick white bandage that enveloped Charlie's entire left calf.

"Six, the rest they said would heal on its own." Raquel responds, placing Shelby's purse by her own discarded shoes. "She's going to have one heck of a scar though."

"Aww." He coos, rubbing Charlie's back.

"Yeah. Now she has to wear those kind of gauze, cast-like, things for about fifteen to eighteen days." Shelby frowns, lifting up a paper bag that held all the gauze rolls and surgical tape as proof.

"What about the show?" Everett remembers, alarmed. They had forgotten about the show.

"Well Charlie doesn't do much physical activity on stage except for walking for a bit and is carried for some of the time." Shelby begins. "The doctor says she should take this entire week off and rest, then she can work on the show again. The cast won't be that big of a problem though, because she wears a long dress that comes down to her ankles. It's all good."

"That's splendid." Everett tells her.

"Indeed." Shelby nods.

"Well I am tired." Raquel announces. "I hope you don't mind me spending the night with Noah tonight."

"No problem at all. He is in the guest room." Everett says. "Where is Henry?"

"Oh he went home. I am the only one staying." Raquel explains. Charlotte abruptly begins to whimper and show signs of waking up.

"Shhh." Everett coos, rocking from side to side. "Well I suppose we should all be getting to bed. Especially this little munchkin."

"Agreed." Raquel says. "Goodnight everyone." She kisses her sister on the cheek and sleepily proceeds down the hall and into the guest room. Whilst Shelby and Everett quietly make their way up the stairs, down the hall, and into a very pink and white room.

The large bedroom had several different stuffed animals, coloring books and crayons, Legos, pieces of board games, dolls, and a baby doll crib and stroller were scattered about. Both parents kept their eyes wide and try to force them to adjust to the lack of light in fear that a Lego might find its way under one of their feet inflicting one of the worst pains a parent can ever face. Keeping their hands out before them, trying to avoid bumping into the girls' small table, until they found their way to the white-washed wooden bunk bed against the opposite wall. Everett carefully leans down, as Shelby pulls the comforter back, and he lays Charlotte down on the bottom bunk.

"Mommy?" A little voice says. They peer up and see Genevieve's silhouette sitting up, rubbing her eyes, and yawning.

"Shh." Shelby reaches up and rubs her daughters blanket covered leg. "Go back to sleep."

"Is Charlie okay?" Genny whispers, leaning over the wooden railing and peering down at her sister.

"Yes she is fine." Everett says, tapping her shoulder indicating that she needed to sit upright, and she does.

"I'm sorry Mommy."

"Get some sleep Genny. We will talk in the morning." Shelby takes two steps on the wooden ladder and kisses Genevieve's forehead. Genny nods and lays back down, immediately falling back to sleep. Both parents laugh and return to their perilous adventure of trying to exit the room safely. _Yes these girls would definitely be cleaning this room tomorrow. _

Once out into the hallway and quietly shutting the bedroom door is when Shelby asks, "All the kids in bed? Did they give you any trouble?"

"Not really. Rachel is just…" Everett begins, but before he can finish responding to her question Shelby spots Rachel climbing up the stairs and walking towards them.

"Hey you." Shelby coos. "What are you still doing up?" As Everett runs his hands through his messy honey brown locks.

"Mom." Rachel groans, holding her stomach. "I don't feel very good."

"You don't? What wr-…" Shelby begins to ask before Rachel suddenly leans over and begins to vomit all over the hallway's rug.

~.~

"I cannot believe you let our fifteen year old daughter drink alcohol." Shelby says.

Since Rachel decided to get sick in the middle of their upstairs hallway, Shelby had to quickly usher her daughter into the bathroom and position Rachel over the toilet where she continues to empty the contents of her stomach. Which is when Everett was forced to explain the activities they had taken part in earlier that evening as he cleans the rug. From the tutorial on mixing drinks, to watching _Friends_, to the mini concert Rachel conducted in the living room, to the cereal binging, to the bunny rabbit hopping, until he explained that he thought she was asleep and well.

"I just wanted her to know how it is for one to drink irresponsibly and now that she has consumed a significant amount of alcohol she will definitely think twice before drinking under-age again. I just didn't think she'd start throwing up until tomorrow morning." Everett shrugs discarding dirty towels into a plastic bag. He didn't see what was so wrong about what he did. It was a creative punishment and he would do it again in a heartbeat.

"What if she has alcohol poisoning?" Shelby retorts, just as Rachel heaves into the toilet once more.

"She does not have alcohol poisoning, I am not stupid enough to let her have that much." Everett rolls his eyes.

"Everett. She is radiating a significant amount of heat from her body and is sweating right through her shirt. Well _my_ shirt." Shelby, rubs her daughters back and reaches in front of her face in order to hold back the girl's fringe that was sticking to her face because of the sweat.

"That's just her body trying to get rid of the alcohol, she is sweating because her body is reacting to the excess amount of it." He tells her. "You of all people should know. Remember New Year's 1999?" He smirks and she shoots him a disapproving glare.

"Don't even." She shakes her head, wiping her sweaty hand onto her yoga pants.

"Moooom." Rachel cries, her head hovering over the toilet. "Make it stop."

"Everett, can you moisten a hand towel with cold water for me please?" Shelby asks, and continues to whisper comforting words into her daughter's ear. While Everett reaches into one of the bathroom's drawers, pulls out a white towel, wets it with cold water, and hands it to his wife.

"I said a moist towel. Not a drenched one." She tells him, throwing the dripping towel at him and it his him square in the face.

"Ohhh…I am going to get you back for that one." Everett threats, as she laughs, he wrings the towel in the sink and lets the excess water scurry out of it.

"That's what you get." Shelby sticks her tongue out at him.

"For what?" He asks disbelievingly, throwing the towel back at her, which she instantaneously catches and he groans because it didn't hit her in the face.

"For choosing now to get our daughter drunk and hung over, just for me to have to take care of her. Only hours after I had to deal with a five year old screaming in my ear for over three hours." She pouts as she uses the towel to wipe Rachel's forehead and neck.

"Mom." Rachel groans, now resorting to dry heaving since she no longer had anything in her stomach.

"You're okay Rachel." Shelby tells her.

After about ten more minutes of Rachel's constant dry heaving, she settles down and leans her body back against her mother's. Shelby leans back on her hand to support Rachel's weight and says, "How about we get up and walk to my room where you can sleep in bed with me." Rachel looks up at her.

"What about daddy?" Rachel weakly asks and Shelby smirks.

"Oh he has a mess to clean up downstairs and he can sleep in your room if he wants." Everett narrows his eyes at her, she simply shrugs again with false innocence.

"Okay." Rachel softly agrees, slowly getting to her feet and placing her hand to her head to keep her balance. _Was the room spinning or something? _Shelby wraps her arm around Rachel's waist in order help aid her as she guides her out of the bathroom

"Everett, baby, can you please bring the trash can from our bathroom and place it next to your side of the bed? Just in case Rachel starts heaving again. Please and thank you." Shelby sweetly says over her shoulder. Everett rolls his eyes and follows.

Shelby leads them straight down the hall to the last door and into the Master bedroom. The master bedroom was the largest bedroom in the entire house. It had beige colored walls that were adorned with several family portraits that they had taken about two years prior. Some photos were placed above their dark mahogany bed that was dressed with white and brown comforter and pillows. The room also housed two dark wooden bedside tables with a matching dresser and bedroom vanity mirror for Shelby. It had its own large en-suite bathroom and small area where they had placed a lounge chair under a vintage lamp for late night reading purposes.

Once they enter the room, Shelby leads her daughter to the bed and pull all the decoration pillows and comforter off the bed, and covers her with a single sheet. She also climbs into bed with her, while Everett places the bathroom's trashcan beside the bed. "Thank you love." Shelby puckers up and sends an air kiss in his direction.

"Yeah yeah yeah." Everett mumbles, exiting the room and closing the double doors.

"Alright you." Shelby says to her daughter, who was beginning to drift into a content slumber. "Let's get this off you and get you comfortable." Shelby gently lifts her oversized _WICKED_ t-shirt above Rachel's head, as the fifteen year old holds her arms up. She strips herself from her black socks, leaving her in a white tank top and grey leggings.

"Mama?" Rachel mumbles as she shifts herself over so her head is lying against her mother's chest.

"Hmm?" Shelby hums, leaning against the headboard, running her hands through Rachel's hair and finally allowing her eyes to flutter closed.

"I'm sorry." Rachel whispers, placing one of her hands on her mother's stomach and placing the other arm under her. "I know I shouldn't have left the kids, took your Maureen costume, and went to the party. I'm sorry I lied to you."

"No you shouldn't have." Shelby says, giving her a slight disapproving look. "You really messed up tonight Rach."

"I know." Rachel says with a downcast gaze, picking at imaginary lint on the comforter. "I'm sorry I ruined your costume, I know how important it was for you."

"You shouldn't have taken it." Shelby reprimands.

"But you wouldn't have let me wear it." Rachel whines.

"With good reason." Shelby brings Rachel's chin up to face her. "That costume was not an appropriate choice for a young girl of your age, well at any age really."

"But you wore it!"

"For a role. Not to be walking around in public wearing that."

"Technically if you're in it on stage you're in public."

"Rachel." Shelby warns. "That was one of my favorite mementos."

"I know."

"You know better."

"I know Mom."

"Do you?"

"I'm sorry. I'll pay for it." Rachel remorsefully offers. Shelby looks down at her with a serious admonishing expression, but within a few seconds the corner of her mouth turned into a smirk which grew into an accomplished smile.

"I'll just dry-clean it." Shelby nonchalantly shrugs and Rachel's jaw drops. She had been played.

"Why didn't you say that before?" She exclaims and Shelby coyly smiles.

"Eh."

"Mom!"

"What?" Shelby innocently asks.

"I hate that you're an actress sometimes." Rachel mumbles.

"I know." Shelby frowns, and strokes her daughter's head.

"It sucks."

"What?"

"Nothing." She sighs.

"Okay." Shelby places a kiss into Rachel's hair. "It's late, time to sleep."

"Am I in trouble?" Rachel whispers after a few moments of silence.

"Loads." The fifteen year old pouts and slumps her shoulders.

"How much?"

"Oh you'll see tomorrow." Shelby simpers.

"Mom." Rachel whines and Shelby winces at the high-pitched sounds. _Ugh! Why did kids always whine?_

"Not my job this time. Take it up with the big man."

"God?" Rachel's eyes brightened, thinking she was off the hook from what she knew was an impending grounding.

"Him too." Shelby chuckled. "But I was referring to your dad."

"Can't you guys just tell me what my punishment is now?"

"Shh." Shelby closes her eyes. "Mommy is sleeeeeping."

"You're annoying." Rachel rolls her eyes, but complies by laying her head back down on her mother's shoulder.

"You're not pleasant all the time either." Shelby sarcastically says with her eyes still closed. Rachel internally laughs and begins to feel her own eyes droop because of the late hour.

"I love you Mom."

"I love you too babe."

"Did grandma ever cuddle with you like this when you were my age?" Rachel yawns.

"Yes she did." Shelby nods, moving them downward so her head would be on the pillow and adjusts Rachel on her chest.

"Even when you were in trouble?"

"Even when I was in trouble." Shelby says. "Now be quiet. Time to go to sleep." Rachel yawns once more and nods.

"You and me." The younger girl sleepily says.

"You and me."

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><p><strong>Review?<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**Dear Guest, Yes! Rachel and Johnathan's relationship is based on Lea Michele and Johnathan Groff's relationship. Also, I did make a mistake where I messed up and said that Rachel's birthday was in eleven days rather than in December. I miss things sometimes when I edit, sorry :)**

**And this is almost it for this story, I just have one more chapter and then I am done. So I hope you enjoy these last two chapters and thanks for following me. And to those who want me to continue stories in the New Chrysler world, prompts are welcome if you want to me to write one-shots! I'd be willing to do that. They just might not come out as fast as this story. But, just follow me as an author if you'd like that and it will notify you when my oneshots are up, or you can just look out for them. No biggie.**

**So without further ado, here it is!**

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><p>The next morning, eyes slowly begin to flutter open, there is a small layer of excess tears around eye lids, and attempt to seeing through bleary eyes. Maks looks from his left and his right and realizes that he is in his own bedroom.<p>

He gradually sits up rubs his eyes and comes to face with his desk piled with sketch books, canvases, notebooks, miniatures, and paintings on the opposite wall of his wooden bed. He pulls away his blue and green themed comforter, swings his legs over the side of the bed, and does his best to maneuver about the room without randomly tripping because of his lethargic state.

Unfortunately it didn't succeed because he soon found himself on the floor and his beanie cascaded to the side because of the offending basketball that decided to be in his way. How did it even get there? His room is usually the cleanest compared to the girls' rooms. With a groan he gets to his feet, and pulls his curtain back slightly in order to try to estimate about what time it was.

As he gazes out the window, he is able to see the sky was now lighter blue with a slight orange tint on the horizon. The sun's rays peeked above, over the tall autumn oak trees, gently letting the world know that the day is beginning and it is time to arise. The birds melodically croon within the trees, singing about how grateful they are to have another day to live. He smiles at the humble sight. Dawn was always the best time to awake because one is able to distinguish the simple pleasures in life.

After a few moments, he exits his room in wonder of what the rest of his family was up to. He began at the French double doors and creaked one open in order to peek inside. He had to stifle a laugh at the sight of his older sister spread about on the bed, taking up almost the entire king-sized bed. Her hair cascaded in all directions, drooling on her pillow and softly snoring, He so wished he had a camera.

With a shake of his head, he continues to the bedroom adjacent to the double doors and opposite from his. With a small screech it opens to reveal his younger sister's bedroom. The top bunk was empty because three occupants were squeezed within the bottom bunk. His mother lying on her back in between Genny and Charlie, who were both cuddled by her sides and their heads cradled by her shoulder. He quietly tiptoes into the room, expertly hopping over blocks, Legos, baseballs, crayons and dolls, until he reaches the bed. He struggles to lean over his mother and sisters in order to reach the small lamp that took residence on a shelf of books on the wall above the bottom bunk. He grabs Charlie and Genny's favorite book, _Ramona the Pest_, which laid open on his mother's chest and closes it, places it on the shelf and maneuvers out of the room.

Out in the hallway is when he finally is able to hear faint sounds coming…the ceiling? His eyebrows knit and he stays silent in order to strain to hear the sounds. It is then that realization hits him and he realizes that the sounds were piano keys. He calmly walks past Rachel's room and the bathroom, that were across from one another, until he reaches a door that stood right before the stairs. Twisting the sliver doorknob and pulling it open, he reveals a staircase that he gingerly climbs until he reaches the top. The top consists of their attic that had been installed with air conditioning and turned into a music room.

He stays silent as his father plays an intricate piano composition and he knew better than to disturb him. When his mother rehearses her scenes or songs and when his father was composing or even simply playing, he knew they were not supposed to disrupt their creative process until allowed into their parents' personal creative space. The keys play a smooth melody that in his artist mind could only be described as the music dancing swiftly through the air.

Once the song was finished, he proceeds towards the piano and sits on the bench beside his father and his father looks over at him with a smile. Maks gazes up at the sheet music displayed on the music rack and reads the title of the song, _Fantasy Dreams_. The boy smiles and watched his father's fingers as he continues to play. To his knowledge, he and every one of his siblings has a song that their mother and father composed for them as toddlers. His was song was entitled _Paintbrush_, Genevieve's was _Candy Land_, and Charlie's was _Shirley Smiles_. Though lately he has heard _Fantasy Dreams_ more often than usual. Especially, he noticed, when Rachel started high school, went out with friends, or would fight with one of their parents.

"_Fantasy Dreams_." Maks whispers. Everett nods and takes his hands off the keys.

"Want me to play _Paintbrush_?" Everett asks, Maks shakes his head. The boy places his hands on the keys and begins to play a soft melody that he recalled his father playing. Everett stares at the little fingers effortlessly stroking the keys and begins to smile widely in recognition of the song.

"Shelby's Letters." He states and Maks smiles as he focuses on the keys. They continue to play together, playing songs with two part harmonies, and even began to compose their own song together. Maks loved waking up early because it always provided his own personal time with his dad.

"Do you want to go running with me?" Everett abruptly asks, as both father and son lay on the floor staring at the ceiling.

"Yeah." Maks enthusiastically says.

8 am. "GOOD MORNING VIETNAM!"

The long white curtains were abruptly pulled back from the tall long windows, allowing the bright sunlight to assault her slumbering eyes. She slowly sat up, holding her head. The sun's rays shine through Rachel's pupils causing more discomfort to her already growing migraine. Her head was pounding, even in her ears, the bright light hurt her eyes, her mouth felt like cotton, and her entire body as a whole felt weak. With eyes squinted and hair matted, she looks around for the person who insisted on interrupting her much needed sleep. After a few moments of processing where she was and recollecting the events that had occurred the night before she groans, her eyes gaze up and become fixated on the person in question.

Everett was standing above her with a pair of her white and pink track shoes in one hand and a pink workout tank top in the other. He simply drops the items onto her lap and says, "Get dressed and meet me downstairs in five minutes."

"What is going on?" She asks with bleary eyes.

"Just get dressed." He says. She notices that he himself is in workout attire as well. In a US Army hoodie, grey sweatpants, track shoes, and a whistle and stop watch around his neck.

"No. No daddy please." She whines, rubbing her eyes.

"Oh it's daddy now?" Everett says with an eyebrow raised and Rachel looks at him with pure guilt.

"Daddy, I'm sorry about what I said last night. I didn't mean it. I was just mad and stupid. I shouldn't have gone to that party and I shouldn't have lied to you. You were just correcting me for my wrong doings and I acted like a brat and I'm sorry." She genuinely says, her voice quivers. The guilt, exhaustion, and the fact that she was hung over did not help her control her emotions. She felt like at any moment she may just burst into tears.

"I appreciate you apologizing Princess. Apology accepted. But that doesn't mean you aren't still getting punished. Now come on. Let's get moving." He claps his hands loudly and Rachel covers her ears to drown out the ear-piercing noise. Everett smirks.

"Can't I just sleep?" Rachel whines.

"Nope." He bluntly says. "The day's awastin'!"

"Where's Mom?" She slumps back onto the bed and hides her head in the pillows.

"Sleeping in Charlie and Genny's room." He informs her and pats her leg. Then places the sliver whistle in his mouth and blows into it, creating the most high-pitched ear-splitting sound Rachel has ever heard.

"NOW MOVE IT! COME ON WE DON'T HAVE ALL DAY FOR YOU TO BE LOLLY GAGGING!" He yells in his drill sergeant voice. Caught off guard by the sudden shouting, Rachel abruptly moves about in the bed until she falls over the side with a thump and the comforter landing atop her strewn about body. "LET'S GO! MOVE IT! MOVE IT! MOVE IT!" He shouts on his way out the door. Rachel knits her eye browns and slaps the carpet in annoyance.

Ten minutes later, carefully ascending down the stairs, not wanting to make any sudden movements that would further cause her pain, Rachel takes one step at a time in her new attire. She looks over the railing and sees her dad with his whistle in his mouth and Johnathan sitting on the couch of the living room with his head in his hands.

Everett had called his parents around six o'clock in the morning, informing him of the party last night. And around 7:02 he found himself outside the Corcoran house, on the front lawn, doing 80 push ups without stopping as Drill Sargent Corcoran stood above him shouting things that he was not able to recollect. If he stopped he was to do the entire workout all over again, which he learned not to do very quickly. He was now sitting on the living room's extremely inviting couch, sweating in places he didn't even know one could sweat in, and trying his hardest to catch his breath. He was informed that Rachel would be slightly hung over and because he was in perfect condition, his punishment was to do a 'warm-up' workout before the real punishment began.

"Rachel." Everett says after spitting his whistle out of his mouth. "Nice of you to finally join us." Rachel glares at her father and takes a seat beside her best friend, leaning her elbow on the arm of the couch and places her head in her hand. "Alright we are going to go outside and we are going to do some basic workout routines and do a three mile run."

"THREE MILES?!" Rachel and Johnathan shout in unison.

"Yup!" Maks affirms, coming from the kitchen in workout attire that was identical to his father's.

"What are you doing?" Rachel snaps at him.

"Well if you must know. I am Dad's assistant. Now get up lazy bums and…Let's. Get. To It!" Maks enthusiastically shouts as he runs in place and Everett laughs.

"Dork." Rachel spat back and Maks sticks his tongue out at her.

"That's enough you two." Everett chuckles. "Come on."

_When her dad said doing a basic military workout, what was he talking about? None of this seemed basic at all. They were forced to jog for about half a mile and back to the house. Then told to do 100 sit-ups. One. Hundred. Sit. Ups. What kind of life was this? Did she look like the kind of girl that could just do one hundred sit-ups easily? Not to mention her pounding headache and nausea. Why did she have to do this?_

"Seventy-six." Maks counted aloud and noticed his sister begin to falter. "Come on. Dad said if you stop. You have to start over." Rachel and Johnathan groan. Soon they were done, but then Everett told them to do 50 jumping jacks, 50 backwards crunches, 50 push ups, 50 squats, 100 lunges, 50 flutter kicks, 100 Russian twists, and two-minute planks (On. Each. Side.) and 100 burpees. Their arms, abdomen, and legs were on fire and Rachel was a few more workouts away from passing out_. He lied. These were NOT basic workouts._

"And one hundred." Everett counts and Rachel and John collapse on the floor. "Great work you guys. Now take a minute to drink some water. I left two bottles on the porch." The two teens slowly hobble over to the porch and sit in the patio chairs, eagerly consuming their water, as they irately watch as Everett times Maks doing jumping jacks on the lawn.

"You're dad…is insane." Johnathan pants, screwing the water bottle's cap back on.

"Tell me about it." Rachel struggles to say, then takes another sip of her water. "I don't think I've ever done this much exercise in a short amount of time."

"Me either." Johnathan shakes his head. "I'm dying."

"My heart rate is decreasing and my body is deteriorating into complete nothingness as we speak." Rachel exaggerates, making Johnathan weakly smile.

"My body is being consumed by fatigue and malnutrition, I can't go on."

"My stomach is sickly churning and my illness is a parasite feeding on me as its host."

"I…" Johnathan begins, but then his thoughts trail off.

"What?" Rachel asks because of his sudden silence.

"Why weren't you with Jesse?" He questions, leaning back in the chair.

"What?"

"Are you a broken record?" Johnathan sasses with a smirk.

"Well you are so abrupt and vague! You never explain yourself, just simply tell me ambiguous statements and leave me to guess what you mean!" She retorts, shoving his shoulder and he laughs.

"Okay! What I meant was, when I went to get you before finding the kids, you weren't with Jesse. You were just with some girls."

"Ohhh…yeah that. Jesse is a jerk."

"You barely noticed?" He teases, raising his eyebrow.

"Shut up or else I won't tell you." Rachel rolls her eyes.

"You'll tell me. You tell me everything." He smirks.

"That's what you think." She feistily says.

"What don't you tell me?" Johnathan places his hand on his chest in mock offense.

"After drinking and hanging out for a while," Rachel begins, ignoring his question. "He asked me if I wanted to go upstairs with him because he wanted to 'show me something', which I knew was absolute bull. So I denied his offer and he looked at me with disbelieving eyes. He explained that he simply wanted to show me something and I gave him a look and said that I wasn't that kind of girl. I wasn't going to hook up with some random guy at a party. Then he tried to justify that he wasn't some random guy and that we have known him for years, but I knew better. So I said no. Then he proceeded to mope around for the rest of the night and giving me the cold shoulder, so I left. I decided that if I wanted to truly have fun, it would be dancing with some of the girls from school."

"Makes sense." John nods. "I knew that those were his intentions."

"I half-knew as well. I just wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt."

"Jesse? The benefit of the doubt? That's like giving Draco Malfoy your invisibility coat and expecting him NOT to use it with the wrong motives."

"Whatever." She crosses her arms. "Well where did you disappear to?"

"Well after you decided to be the Queen of Sass." He glares at her and points at herself as if saying _'Who? Me?_' "Yeah you! I went upstairs and met a girl and…"

"A girl?!" She scrambles to sit on her knees and smiles widely. "Tell me. EVERYTHING."

"It's not a big deal. We just talked about books, theatre, and issues in society." He shrugs.

"Sounds amazing! PLEASE tell me you at least got her number?" Johnathan looks at her with a guilty look. "YOU DIDN'T GET HER NUMBER?!"

"I didn't have time!"

"Why not?"

"Well your sister was bleeding to death and I needed to save you from the Lotus Hotel and Casino!" He defends himself, referencing the captivating hotel from _The Lighting Thief_.

"Oh please. You…"

"Alright!" Everett calls from the lawn. "Break's over!" Rachel and Johnathan whimper slightly because they knew what was to come, utter pain and fatigue. They then attempt to gracefully stand up and limp over to Everett and Maks.

"Three mile run!" Maks excitedly jumps up and down. "Let's do it!"

"Shut up." Rachel thumps her little brother on the head.

"Stop!" He punches her in the arm and she irately retaliates,

"Hey." Everett sternly says, putting a stop to their impending quarrel. "Let's go." The group sets out running at a steady pace down Manhattan Rd. and into the neighborhood. To start off, Everett allowed Johnathan and Rachel to steadily jog for the first mile, in which the teens felt like they were going to collapse and fall into a coma at any moment. However when they reached the two mile point, Everett began to run behind them and coax them into running faster. Well maybe not coaxing, but more like demanding.

"Pick up the pace guys!" Everett says from behind.

"Can we just stop now?" Rachel whines, saying each word between breaths.

"No." Everett denies her petition. "We need to circle around back home. No stopping. No slowing down. LET'S GO! Move it!" The teenagers grumble as they run faster. They continue down the neighborhood streets, occasionally waving at an overly friendly neighbor, smiling at other joggers, and trying their best not to fall flat on their faces.

"Daddy. I don't feel good." Rachel whines, her face turning green.

"Push harder. You can do it!" Everett encourages, staying close behind.

"Dad…" She says again before a wave of nausea hits her and she moves to the side of the road and hunches over the grass.

"You okay Rach?" Maks asks, right before Rachel starts vomiting water, seeing as that is the only thing that she has consumed. Her head was pounding, even in her ears, and she tries to catch her breath.

"Are you alright?" Everett gently pulls a stray hair behind her ear. Rachel nod sand stands to her full height, with her hands on her waist. "Can you keep going?"

"I…" She begins "I…I think so."

"You sure?" John inquires, seeing that her face was slightly pale.

"Yeah." She nods. "Let's keep going." She didn't want to stop now and walk home. She felt pretty ill and wanted to get home as soon as possible, therefore she reasons that if walks it would take much longer. All she wants to do is collapse onto her bed and sleep for days.

"If you say so." Everett skeptically says.

"Let's go!" Maks shouts, taking off down the street with the others in tow. They continue around the neighborhood until they are about half a mile away from their home, which is when Everett pushes them all to sprint the last half mile. Rachel's legs wobble as she sprints down the street, feeling like her legs will give out. They pants, wheeze, and struggle for air, tears even prick in Rachel's eyes, until they finally reach 40382 Manhattan Rd. and all three kids collapse on the front lawn. Staring up at the sky, praying to God that He be merciful to their screaming lungs and blow air into them because they felt like they were moments away from an aneurysm or something.

"Amazing job today!" Everett claps his hands, as he stands above the three children who laying in the grass. "Who wants another lap?"

"NO!" Rachel and Johnathan yell, regardless of their oxygen level. Shortly after, Johnathan was thankfully released to, unfortunately for him, walk home, but he didn't care because at least he would be far away from Mr. Corcoran and he could sleep in peace.

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><p><strong>Review?<strong>


	11. Chapter 11

Inside Shelby and Raquel were in their pajamas, slaving away making pancakes with whipped cream and strawberries for breakfast.

"Let's whistle while you work." Shelby sings, referencing Snow White, and Raquel whistles a beautiful tune as her sister sings.

"It's a hard knock life for us!" Genevieve sings, in an attempt to spite her mother. Because of their established grounding, this morning Genevieve and Noah were put to vacuum, dust, disinfect, and clean everything in the entire family room. Just thirty minutes after Noah helped Genny clean her entire room, which wasn't an easy task.

"It's a hard knock life for us!" Noah joins in.

"'Stead of treated, we get tricked

'Stead of kisses, we get kicked

It's a hard knock life!" They both sing loudly as Genevieve dusts the entertainment center and Noah disinfects the coffee table.

"He had it coming!" Raquel sings in response, stirring the freshly make orange juice.

"He had it coming!" Scarlet sings with a Cheshire cat grin, watching the stove in preparation to flip the pancakes.

"He only had himself to blame."

"If you'd have been there."

"If you'd have seen it."

"I betcha you would have done the same." They chorus and the two younger children pout and get back to work. The two sisters high-five having won the 'sing-off'.

"Genevieve." Shelby calls to her. "Don't forget that you and your brother and sisters have to do your independent study work before we have to leave for call time." Genny groans and Charlie giggles from her seat at the breakfast bar, letting her legs go completely limp being cautious of her injury, and coloring a picture of Olaf holding a flower.

"What time is call time?" Charlie inquires, concentrating very hard to stay inside the lines as she colors her flower pink.

"Five." Shelby responds.

"No." the little girl says. "It's at 12."

"That's only on Wednesday Matinee days." The children all did three shows a week; Tuesday evening, Wednesday Matinee, and Saturday evenings. Whereas Shelby did four shows, including Friday evenings. "We are all going to the apartment today at three, but you're not working this week."

"Because of my leg." Charlie says pointing downward in the direction of her legs.

"Yup." Shelby nods. "Daddy is going to stay with you and Rachel tonight, while Maks, Genny, and I go to the theater."

"Okay." Charlie giving her mom a thumbs up, she didn't mind having a day off.

"Speaking of your leg. It's time to clean it out." Shelby says, looking at the digital clock on the stove that blinks 10:08 in bold red numbers. Raquel gives Shelby a sympathetic look, knowing how all of this was going to play out. "Come on kid." Shelby gives her sister a sad half-smile, lifting Charlotte off the stool, and placing her on her feet. Charlie stands tentatively on her feet and only slight limps, following her mother straight down the hall into the guest bathroom.

"Can I help?" Genevieve asks, entering the kitchen once she and Noah finish in the family room.

"No baby, not now okay? We have to finish quickly today." Raquel tells her, adding three pancakes to the short stack.

"Okay." Shortly after, Noah and Raquel begin to gather things together in order to set the table in the dining room. Genevieve takes over coloring Charlie's picture, stares at her crayon in wonder and interrupts by asking, "What is a color?"

Raquel looks at the little girl ready to answer her question, but then finds herself dumbfounded, perplexed how to answer the question. She recalls back in high school science class when they would discuss the reflection of light that bends in order to make specific colors, but how to you answer that in a way an eight year old would understand.

"Um." Raquel says, placing the platter of pancakes back on the counter. "Well different colors appear to the human eye depending on the way the light reflects against it."

"But why?"

"Because there is a spectrum, which is a range, of different colors and depending on the way the light hits it, makes it a specific color."

"But what if what we see is one color, but it is really another color."

"What do you mean?" Noah asks, munching on a strawberry.

"Like what if everything is boring and the color grey, but our brains are creative and see color. Or what if what I see, isn't what you see? Like we both see red, but different reds." Genevieve innocently asks.

"Maybe." Raquel looks at her dumbfounded. _Who knew an eight year old could fathom such questions and thoughts._

"Did you know that water is blue because it reflects the color of the sky, like a giant mirror?" Genny tells her.

"That I did know."

"But why?"

"Why what?"

"Why does it reflect?"

"Just because it does."

"There has to be a reason."

"It just does." Raquel stresses.

"Well who made it do that? Who designed the sky to be blue? Or trees be green, or my hair to be brown?"

"Genetics."

"Yeah but who made genetics? Why can't the tree be orange and the sky be pink? Why can't my hair be blue?"

"Because it just can't."

"But why?"

"Genny." Noah interrupts. "Just hold your breath for five minutes."

"I can't hold my breath for five minutes! It's not humanly possible."

"Then pipe down and stop asking so many questions!" Noah shouts and takes a jug of orange juice into the dining room. While Genevieve lets out an annoyed "Humph" and Raquel has to try her best to stifle a laugh. They work together to get the dining room set up for breakfast, when they hear a loud shriek coming from deep in the house, followed by loud dramatic crying. Charlie.

"What happened?" Raquel calls out to her younger sister from the doorway of the dining room.

"Nothing!" Shelby tells her over the crying. "I'm just trying to clean her cut!"

"AWESOME!" Noah says, "I wanna see!" He runs past his mother, abandoning his place distributing plates, and down to the bathroom with Genevieve excitedly following behind. Shaking her head, Raquel follows their little trouble makers towards the now quiet sobbing.

In the bathroom they are able to see a, once again, crying Charlie with her _Babe_ nightgown hiked up, revealing her calf. Her legs stretched straight out down the length of the counter and the small calf had a long scabbing gash in it, with six small stitches in the center of the cut. The cut had evidence of a dark brown petroleum-like substance on it, and Shelby stood over her with an abnormally long Q-tip type cotton swab and a jar of the petroleum substance in hand.

"No more Mommy." Charlie told her, as her older sister and cousin crouched down and placed their chins on the counter, eye level to the wound and stare at it with pure fascination.

"Awesome."

"That's so cool!"

"Can I touch it?" Noah asks, slowly inching his finger towards the stitches.

"No!" Charlie cries, smacking her cousin's hand away. She would have snatched her leg away if it didn't burn like the hot waters of hell.

"Leave her alone, Noah." Raquel says, grabbing him by the shoulder and pulling him towards her.

"The doctor prescribed this gel that will disinfect the cut and aid to the healing process. He told me that it would burn quite a bit, but she is the drama queen." Shelby explains to her sister. "Pay no attention to her dramatics, it may hurt, but not as much as she makes it out to be." Raquel knowingly nods, watching as Shelby carefully wraps a gauze several times around Charlie's leg, who was now quietly hiccuping.

"Are you good drama queen?" Shelby teases, wiping Charlie's tears away and places a kiss into her daughter's hair. "Come on, let's go have breakfast."

~.~

"I'm dying!" Rachel shouts as she walks through the front door. "My legs may need to be amputated and replaced by prosthetics!" She walks to the nearby living room couch and collapses onto it, sweating right through her clothes and heat radiates from her body.

"It wasn't that bad." Maks tells her, standing behind the couch, trying to catch his breath as well.

"Easy for you to say. All you did was run, you didn't do the workouts." She glares in her little brother's direction. After a minute of silence and focusing on her breathing, she takes in a deep breath and then scrunches her nose. "Hey geek. There's this new nifty invention called deodorant, use it."

"Shut up." Maks spits back, leaning his foot against the back of the couch in order to tie his shoe. "Coming from the wildebeest who takes days to shave. I mean geez, your legs are like the legs of a werewolf." Rachel gasps, reaches over the back of her couch, and pushes her distracted brother, who trips to the ground.

"Hey!"

"Rachel, leave your brother alone." Everett laughs as he walks through the front door in time to see Rachel push Maks to the ground. "We don't need another kid to be pulled out of the show."

"I got pulled out of the show?!" Rachel cries, scrambling to sit up in the couch.

"Ha-ha!" Maks mocks and receives a glare from Everett that shuts him up.

"Well your mother is pulling you out of tonight's show. You are staying home with Charlie and me." Everett explains.

"What?" Rachel frantically shakes her head. "That's not fair."

"It is fair." Everett nods, "You're grounded, plus you are still somewhat sick, so you need to relax."

Maks takes in a deep breath and eagerly smiles. "Yum! Pancakes!" He scurries down the hall and towards the scent of the delicious pancakes, as Everett walks into the living room and takes a seat on the coffee table in front of Rachel.

"So here's how this is going to go. You are going to miss the show tonight, go to the apartment with Charlie and me, drink lots of fluids, do your independent study work, and get tons of sleep. As for your grounding…"

"I'm grounded too?" Rachel says with a pitiful pout. "Wasn't getting me drunk and making me do a rigorous workout regimen while hung over punishment enough?"

"Nope. That was just for my own entertainment." Everett smirks.

"What?!"

"I'm just kidding." Everett grins. "That was just for drinking. You are grounded for leaving your siblings unattended, where your little sister got hurt, lying, and stealing your mother's things without asking; knowing full well you wouldn't be granted permission to wear such a costume."

"Grounded for how long?" Rachel whines.

"Three weeks. One week for each offense."

"Three weeks?!"

"Yup! Last night I took the liberty of taking away your cellphone, but after breakfast I want you to hand over your laptop and iPod."

"What about Maks, Genny, and Charlie?" Rachel asks, if she was going to be grounded, it is only fair if they all are as well. Especially since they pulled a prank that caused the authorities to get involved and were the ones that allowed Charlie to get hurt.

"Charlie had no role in this, but being dragged into it by the three of you. Now Maks and Genevieve are grounded for two weeks, even though none of that should be any of your concern." Rachel slumps down further into the couch. "Now _grounded_ means, no phone, in fact no electronics at all whatsoever. No going out, no walking off while you are in the city, you are only allowed to go to school and back. You are only allowed to do the show and in your spare time you are to spend it in your mother's dressing room. Understand?"

"Yes sir." Rachel mumbles.

"Ahem." Everett clears his throat. "Excuse me?"

"Yes sir." Rachel says clearly, making sure to keep her attitude in check. She didn't need to add to her grounding.

"Good. Now come on, I'm starved." He holds out his hand for Rachel to take.

"Wait." Everett looks at her with questioning eyes. "You _are_ my dad."

Everett smiles and takes a seat beside her. "You know, I knew this day would come."

"What day?" She asks.

"The day you use the "you're not my dad" card." He responds. "But let me tell you something, Rachel."

"What?" She looks up at him with wide eyes, making her look much younger than she actually is.

"You're _my_ kid." Everett smiles. "I don't care what shmuck provided half of your genetics, you are my kid. You will always be my kid and there is nothing anyone can do to change that. Even when you think I am too hard on you and you yell at me or think I am annoying. I just do it because I love you and I refuse to screw you up." Seeing his genuine eyes, Rachel flings herself in his arms and holds onto him tightly.

"I love you daddy." She squeaks.

"I love you too munchkin." He laughs. "Now, how about we go attack your mother?"

"You're on!" She quickly gets to her feet and they race down the hallway hand in hand.

Once everyone had their breakfast, wash the dishes, clear the table, and clean the kitchen, Noah and Raquel announce that they had to be heading home because Raquel needed to get ready for work and Noah had to start his own grounding since he had missed school that say. With a grumbling and pouting Noah, Raquel gives each family member a parting hug and Noah reluctantly does the same before the ride both bikes down the street to their own home. Maks was directed to shower in the downstairs bathroom, while Rachel showered in the upstairs one, Shelby had Genevieve quickly shower in her own bathroom before giving Charlie her undivided attention in order to give her a shower, being mindful of the stitches.

They were now all incarcerated in the family room. Dressed in sweats and t-shirts and hair damp, except for Maks, whose hair dries quickly and now had his navy blue beanie adorning his head. They were all dispersed throughout the room, with deep pouts, working on their independent study packets, and regretfully staring at the television and entertainment center, which seemed to be mocking them. _Just one game on the Xbox? One TV show? How could their parents be so heartless, making them do homework in the vicinity of their forbidden electronics? They claim that they requested they work in the family room so that they could keep an eye on them, but the kids knew it was a ploy to secretly torture them._

"Are you guys done?" Shelby asks, fresh out of the shower and her brunette waves in a ponytail.

"Almost." Charlie smiles, curled up on the couch, and the other three siblings glare at her. _Yeah you would be almost done if your homework only consisted of outlining letters, numbers, and coloring the letter of the week. The letter N._

"Kind of." Rachel answers, on her stomach, lying on the floor. "I have ten more math problems to finish."

"Me too." Genevieve quips up from her perch in the arm chair.

"I only have three quick-writes left." Maks informs her, sitting opposite from Charlie on the couch, leaning his notebook on his propped up knees.

"Aww." Everett relents, walking behind Shelby, rubbing a towel against his crew cut hair. "Can you hurry?"

"Can you take a break?" Shelby asks, lifting Charlie up, sits down on the couch, and settles the little girl in her lap.

"Yeah." Rachel instantly says, eagerly shutting her algebra book and setting it aside with her notebook.

"Why?" Genny curiously asks and Rachel gives her a "What are you doing?" look. _If a parent tells you to stop doing your homework, you obviously stop doing it. No questions asked._

"We are going to watch Frozen, like Charlie asked." Everett informs them, bringing the television to life.

"I thought we were gr-…" Genevieve begins, but Maks quickly clamps his hand over her mouth, desperately shaking his head_. If their parents forgot, WHY remind them?_

"Oh you are still grounded." Shelby laughs, removing Maks's hand from his sister's lips. The kids slump their shoulders. _Way to go Genny._

"That doesn't mean we are grounded." Everett says, which makes them all perk up. "Just don't make it habit. We are going to watch it, but just this once."

"Okay!" Genny smiles and they all set their homework aside. _Two hours wouldn't kill them._

"Aww…but do we have to watch _Frozen_? We've seen it a bajillion times, thanks to the girls." Maks whines.

"Bajillion isn't a word." Genevieve tells him, earning herself a scowl.

"Can we watch _Wreck It Ralph_?" Maks suggests, only because he knew that they couldn't watch Iron Man with Charlie in the room

"Yeah _Wreck It Ralph_!" Charlie animatedly nods.

"All in favor of watching _Wreck It Ralph_, say aye." Everett announces.

"Aye!" They shout in unison with arms shooting straight up.

"Wreck It Ralph it is." Everett says, placing the DVD he had fished from the shelf into the Blu-Ray player and closing it. Maks jumps from his seat on the couch and sits right in front of the TV.

"Scoot back Maks." Rachel says. "It's bad for your eyes and you're in everybody's way."

"She's right." Everett tells him, taking his place in Maks's wake. Maks scowls, but obliges to sit on the floor with his back against the couch, in between his parents. The surround system loudly sounds through the family room as Everett presses play on the remote and the film begins.

They all relax and eyes become glued to the television. As the film continues, Charlie shifts her body so she is somewhat cradled in her mother's arms, though in the process, accidently kicking Maks in the head with her good leg. Upset, Maks reaches his arm up and smacks his little sister on her thigh.

"Ow!" This time Charlie intentionally kicks her brother in the head to retaliate.

"Ow! Mom she kicked me!" He hits her thigh again.

"He hit me!" Charlie kicks him.

"Be quiet." Genny whines, fixing herself in a small cocoon of blankets in the arm chair.

"Yeah we are trying to watch the movie." Rachel adds as Maks and Charlie continue back and forth.

"Hey!" Shelby scolds. Fed up, Maks pinches Charlie's arm very hard.

"Ow!" Charlie yelps.

"Maks." Everett says.

"Charlotte." Shelby turns Charlie's head towards hers and shakes her head, indicating that she needed to stop.

"Stop it." Everett nudges Maks's head and gives him a serious look. Maks turns and sticks his tongue out at his sister.

"Asshole." Charlie shouts. The room goes dead silent for a moment, only with the _Wreck It Ralph_ jingle and dialogue playing in the background. Everyone's heads turn to Charlie and her parents' eyes narrow, causing Charlie to slump down in a futile attempt to hide. _Uh-oh._

"Charlotte we do _not_ say that word. _Ever_." Shelby admonishes, her green eyes boring crossly into her daughter's smaller ones. Shelby

"Who taught you that word?" Everett demands to know. Immediately Maks and Rachel's eyes lock with urgency and instantly point to one another.

"He did!"

"She did!"

Shelby and Everett look at their older children with stern looks; looks that said that their near future was not very bright. All the children look at each other alarmed, but ultimately slump their shoulders in defeat. _Man! Busted._

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading guys! This was the last chapter of the story and I hope you liked it.<strong>


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